Outrage over hit on John Tavares in Game 3.

It took them the better part of 3 games to wake up, but when they finally did the Florida Panthers imposed their will on the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3 of their second round series in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Panthers fully embraced what they are best known for in Game 3, dragging teams into the muddy waters where they thrive, punishing the Maple Leafs with the physical brand of hockey that they have quickly developed a reputation for in recent years. While that style of play requires the Panthers to play the game right on the line when it comes to the rules, things can naturally cross over that line when you're trying to play right up against it.

That may very well have been the case in the game's third period when, roughly midway through the frame, Florida Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues appeared to target the head of Maple Leafs forward John Tavares. Rodrigues would deliver a hit to Tavares along the boards while the Panthers were up a goal in the third period, one in which he appeared to launch himself upwards and leave his skates.

First here is a look at how it happened live:

And a closer look at the replay:

The hit from Rodrigues as well as an additional slash on Tavares was highlighted during the Canadian broadcast of the game, resulting in fans expressing their outrage with both the hit itself as well as the Canadian broadcaster for some reason.

While some may have interpreted the highlight package as praise of Rodrigues it seems far more likely that the Canadian broadcaster was highlighting the incident in an effort to drive conversation around the hit and possibly even bring it to the attention of the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety.

That being said Tavares wasn't injured on the play and therefore I highly doubt we can expect to see any kind of suspension for Rodrigues, especially not during the playoffs.