Why is Matthew Tkachuk getting so many misconducts? Analyzing Florida Panthers star's questionable disciplinary record

Matthew Tkachuk has always played with an edge, but why is he getting so many misconducts?

In Game 2, the Florida Panthers star was assessed two 10-minute misconducts. Now, has three in the series. Many fans felt like he didn't deserve it, so why is Tkachuk getting so many misconducts?

Although there is no definitive answer, it is likely due to the way he plays the game. He plays on the edge and is known for his physicality. However, he has felt some of the misconducts should not have been called.

Matthew Tkachuk frustrated with misconducts

There is an obvious reason why Matthew Tkachuk gets so many misconducts. He plays on the line of being physical and annoying to play against and makes illegal hits.

Tkachuk tries to get under opponents' skin by trash-talking and making big hits. In Game 2, he made a huge open-ice hit on Jack Eichel. After the hit, a scrum started. To no surprise, he was in the middle of the action and was given a 10-minute misconduct.

Although the refs won't admit it, many fans - including myself - think the ref gave him the 10-minute so the game wouldn't get out of hand.

However, after the game, Eichel said the hit was clean so there was no reason for any penalty to be called.

"I kind of toe-picked a little bit and saw him at the last minute. He finishes what I saw was a clean check on me," Eichel said. "It's a physical game. You're gonna get hit sometimes."

For the second 10-minute misconduct of the game, a Florida Panthers fan threw a rat on the ice, which they usually do at home. Matthew Tkachuk then shot the rat along the ice towards the Vegas Golden Knights' bench.

Although the play was meaningless, with the way Matthew Tkachuk plays, the refs likely knew he would be trying to make big hits and cause a scene. With that, the refs gave him the 10-minute misconduct so he would be out of the game.

“I was a little bit surprised by it,” Tkachuk said. “I went to the bench to get ready for a power play. I think one of those misconducts I deserved but don’t know about the other one. At the end of the day, they may have thought that game was maybe out of reach in the second period. But we didn’t. We have scored seven goals in a period. You never know in the playoffs.”

Unfortunately, with the way Matthew Tkachuk plays the game, the refs don't give him any chances. The refs will immediately give him the 10-minute misconduct if he does something illegal.