Garnet Hathaway just gave Ryan Leonard "quite a few shoves into the ice" early in the third period, according to Sammi Silber, with the Panthers and Capitals still playing in Washington this afternoon.
It came right after Tom Wilson was ejected for boarding Sandis Vilmanis, and the building was already loud.
Silber's post is short, and it stays that way. No penalty is mentioned, no fight, no explanation. Just Hathaway, Leonard and the ice.
That is all the posts give us, so nobody should call it payback. What we can say is that Florida's response, whatever it was meant to be, came from the right guy.
Hathaway is 34, a 6'2" winger from Naples, Florida, and this is the kind of shift he is paid for. He has 0 goals and 1 assist in 16 games this season, but he has 27 penalty minutes. Over his NHL career he has 688 games and 164 points.
What led to Hathaway's shoves on Leonard
Start with the hit that changed the afternoon. Vilmanis went to the dressing room, and Sandis Vilmanis being helped off the ice was the first sign this game had turned.
Jameson Olive reported that Wilson got a 5-minute major and a game misconduct, and he expects supplemental discipline to follow.
Silber offered a counterpoint on the play itself. She wrote that Wilson did not have enough time to stop, because Vilmanis turned as he was going in for the hit.
That context matters when the league looks at it. A turn at the last second can soften a suspension, and it can also leave Panthers fans fuming anyway, especially with Vilmanis coming off a four-point night against Chicago.
Leonard was on the other end of the shoves, and he was not a bystander on Wednesday's scoresheet either. He has 5 goals and 5 assists in 14 games, so Washington needs him on the ice and not on his back.
The Panthers still have a game left against Boston on Sunday, and whether Vilmanis is in the lineup for it is not something anybody has said yet. The league's decision on Wilson is the other open question.
Quick hits
BUFFALO SABRESJack Rathbone cleared waivers, according to PuckPedia, so no team claimed the defenseman. Buffalo keeps him, for now.
NEW YORK RANGERSPro Hockey Rumors reports the Rangers placed James Reimer on waivers for the purpose of contract termination. That is a notable move in net.
EDMONTON OILERSZach Hyman and Devon Levi return to the lineup tonight against the Canucks, per Spittin' Chiclets. That is a welcome boost for Edmonton.
NASHVILLE PREDATORSNHL Media confirmed Juuse Saros starts tonight against the Blues, with Joel Hofer in the other crease. A clean goalie matchup.
COLORADO AVALANCHEAarif Deen reports Mackenzie Blackwood was the first goalie off the ice this morning and appears set to start tonight.
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