LAS VEGAS – Matthew Tkachuk lined up Jack Acorn and set it up with one thundering slap on open ice that sent him onto the ice.
Eichel quickly ran away and retreated to the dressing room, scaring the Vegas Golden Knights for more than a few moments towards the end of the second period of Game 2 Stanley Cup Final. Instead of his night being over, Acorn returned to the third third and prepared the fifth goal of seven in one Loss of the Florida Panthers With that, Vegas led 2-0 in the best-of-seven series and was two wins away from a championship.
The success, discussed throughout the hockey world, was quickly dismissed as clean by all involved, and Eichel’s return to play another key role in that playoff run only reiterated the team’s mantra that “it hurts to win.” After the players had asked Eichel during the break if he was okay, they repeated this sentence over and over again.
“It was definitely a big collision,” said Eichel. “It’s a physical game. Sometimes you get hit. You just keep walking.”
Eichel refused to complain about the hit and even took responsibility for putting himself in this position. “I need to be aware of that, you know? You have to keep your head up.”
These types of hits used to be commonplace in the NHL, but have become less important as players have evolved toward skill and away from potentially violent contacts. Tkachuk, the Panthers’ top scorer this postseason and their emotional leader, isn’t afraid to use his body to make a difference and carries with him an old-school mentality when it comes to players protecting themselves.
“It doesn’t matter who you are: you shouldn’t walk through the middle with your head down,” Tkachuk said. “You will be hit. I mean I would get hit too if I had my head in the middle. It’s nothing. It’s not a big deal. He’s a really good player and even really good players can get hit.”
The hit itself was made worse by Acorn losing his footing seconds before making contact – “a bit of a toe-picking”. He landed awkwardly and grimaced as he ran away.
Acorn later admitted he was out of breath, but in real time it seemed worse.
“You don’t want to see a man like Jack go under,” said teammate William Carrier. “To be honest, he looked bad out there.”
Acorn didn’t think it was bad enough squirming on the ice and waiting for medical attention before he could run and start collecting himself.
When did he know for sure he was okay? It did not last long.
“I just got in (in the dressing room) and regrouped,” said Eichel. “I came to my senses and realized I was fine.”
Vegas led 4-0 back then Hunt for the goalie from Florida Sergei Bobrovsky and Eichel sitting out as a precaution would not have been unusual. However, after coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed everything was fine, Eichel was back on the bench early in the third half and provided impetus just by being there.
“Not only does it give us juice, but sometimes it can take juice away from the other team if they see a man coming back,” Cassidy said. “It was good for the group.”
It got better.
On Eichel’s first substitution, he won a puck fight and delivered the puck to Jonathan Marchessault for his second goal of the game and the Golden Knights’ fifth.
“That’s the resilience that we have in this dressing room,” Marchessault said. “It starts with the top guys and goes through the entire lineup.”
The announcement of Eichel’s assist caused a louder cheer than usual from the crowd of 18,561 spectators. That meant a lot to Eichel, who also appreciated his teammates making sure he was ready to go.
“Everyone has taken a few hits in their careers,” he said. “This is a physical game that we play, so everything is a part of it.”
Not letting it derail his and the Knights titles could make the hit and Eichel’s reaction part of the franchise lore if they manage to defeat Florida and lift the trophy for the first time in the short, six-year history of the franchise.
Teammates were already calling Acorn strong and “a warrior.” His coach was proudest of Eichel, who boasted the tenacity of a hockey player willing to take a hit and jump right to the top and keep making his contribution.
“It’s hockey,” Cassidy said. “It’s okay to be hit in June. This is part of the journey. It hurts to win and it’s not supposed to be easy. Good for him.”
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Follow AP Hockey writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno
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