Flames defend Tkachuk’s penchant for penalties
The Calgary Flames are a better team when Matthew Tkachuk is playing like he usually does — agitating, annoying, grinding, making plays and generating offence.
Sometimes it comes at a cost and the 19-year-old left winger winds up in the sin bin. Most times, it results in an opposing team’s penalty.
And Glen Gulutzan, after weighing the risks versus the rewards, is willing to accept Tkachuk’s rowdy style of play.
“With Chucky ... he’s in the fabric of the game,” the Flames head coach said. “He’s in the trenches of the game. He’s in the bowels of the game. For me, you have to live with some of those penalties. But he draws a lot of penalties. He draws more than he takes.”
By the coaching staff’s calculations, Tkachuk finished second on the Flames last season in a comparison of penalties he drew compared with penalties he’s taken.
Still, Gulutzan was furious on Thursday after the sophomore delivered an unnecessary shove to Josh Jooris after the horn had sounded to end the second period. That push led to the game-winning goal as the Flames lost 2-1 at home to the Carolina Hurricanes.
After the game, Tkachuk owned up to the costly penalty and accepted blame for the game’s final outcome. On Friday, however, it was a fresh slate. When asked if he beat himself up over the penalty, he responded: “No, not at all.”
“You just come in with the mentality that it’s a long season and it’s a new day,” said Tkachuk, who has two goals and three assists and 12 penalty minutes in seven games. "I just want to try and be better and try to be prepared for the next game.
“You’ve got to clean it up and clean up all parts of the game. I’m in the green, though — I’m still drawing more than I’m taking. But, yeah, I definitely still want to cut down on them.”
Prior to Friday’s action, Tkachuk was tied for third in the NHL with Buffalo’s Evander Kane, teammate Sam Bennett and Antoine Roussel of the Dallas Stars with six minor penalties this season.
But that doesn’t mean Gulutzan wants him to alter the way he plays — despite the fact the Flames have taken the fourth-most penalties in the NHL (prior to Friday’s action), adding to that total on Thursday with another six infractions.
“The penalty (Thursday)? I will sit him for that penalty,” Gulutzan said. “And I did (Thursday). But the other (penalties Tkachuk takes), there are some you have to live with because he’s in there. He’s not in the quiet, fluffy, fun zones. He’s in the tough zones. I don’t mind that. We need that. That’s how we’re ultimately going to win here.
“He just has to make sure he’s on the line better than he was (Thurs- day). Plain and simple.”
Flames captain Mark Giordano agreed.
“He’s got to play on the edge. That’s his game,” Giordano said. “He gets in people’s faces. He agitates. That’s when he’s at his best. As far as (Thursday) goes, there’s so many different things that happen that affect the outcome. You can’t look at one penalty or one instance. It was magnified because we’re taking a lot of penalties right now. Six, seven a night. We’ve got to cut those out, but that’s his game, he’s on the edge.”
Considering the amount of penalties he draws compared with the penalties he takes, there’s a bit of a longer leash with Tkachuk. However, Gulutzan, who said after Thursday’s game he would be limiting some players’ ice time for taking bad penalties, had no time for Tkachuk’s second-period gaffe.
“That kid is a winner,” Gulutzan said. "He’s in the trenches. We need that kid, and we’ll win with that kid and I’ll live with some of it. But I won’t live with the one (Thursday).
“You have certain guys that are willing to chew their arm off to win. He’s one of them. He just has to decide when he’s taking the bites, I guess.”