"Total scumbag move": NHL fans irked as Matthew Tkachuk escapes goalie interference call despite his pesky actions against Isles goaltender

Fans reacted as the Florida Panthers came back to score six unanswered goals, leading to strong reactions from fans about a play by Matthew Tkachuk. The Islanders started with a 3-0 lead, but tensions grew in the second period. When the Panthers were down 3-2, Tkachuk made repeated contact with Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov, which fans saw as breaking an unspoken rule.

The incident began when Matthew Tkachuk bumped into Varlamov, causing the goalie to drop his stick. Shortly after, Tkachuk cross-checked Varlamov before scoring, bringing the Panthers closer. Insider Brady Trettenero shared the play on X (formerly Twitter):

“This is a Matthew Tkachuk clip if I’ve ever seen one.”

After the clip was posted, NHL fans began reacting to it on X.

"Total scumbag move," one said.

"NHL officiating is a disgrace," another commented.

"I blame the defensemen for not laying his a** out behind the net…so if you don’t protect your goalie the pimps take liberties," one X user said.

Here are some more reactions from fans on X.

"I'm aware of at least two goals that have been called back this season for a player simply standing at the top of the crease. Yet the league allows this? The favoritism this team gets for being in a warm weather market is unreal. Yeah, totally legit Cup they just won," one fan said.

"lol got away with like 5 penalties in one play. Refs with another masterclass tonight," a fan commented.

"Lol one of these days somebody is gonna line tkachuk up I don’t think he has many friends in the league," a fan tweeted.

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Matthew Tkachuk and Florida Panthers rally to beat New York Islanders

The Florida Panthers overcame a three-goal deficit to defeat the New York Islanders 6-3 on Saturday night.

Matthew Tkachuk scored twice, while Sam Bennett scored the go-ahead goal in the third period. Sam Reinhart also found the net, and Mackie Samoskevich scored his first NHL goal. Gustav Forsling added a short-handed empty-net goal to secure the win.

Dmitry Kulikov and Anton Lundell played key roles, providing two assists. Despite giving up three quick goals, Spencer Knight bounced back impressively, making 22 consecutive saves for a total of 26. The victory marked the Panthers’ second win in a row.

The Islanders got off to a solid start, scoring three goals in the first period from Dennis Cholowski, Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson. Unfortunately, they were unable to maintain that advantage. The Islanders, now 3-5, play the Anaheim Ducks next, while the Panthers visit the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.