Paul Bissonnette takes stinging jab at Hurricanes after Matthew Tkachuk's targeted hit on Sebastian Aho - "That's a joke to me"

By Zachary Roberts

Modified May 26, 2025 14:32 GMT

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Matthew Tkachuk went after Sebastian Aho during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. In retaliation for a hit on Sam Bennett, Tkachuk targeted Aho and took him down to the ice violently, eventually landing a roughing penalty and a 10-minute misconduct.

The Carolina Hurricanes, by and large, did nothing in return. Aho is the alternate captain and one of Carolina's best players, but his teammates did not retaliate after Tkachuk took him down. That didn't sit right with Paul Bissonnette.

Speaking on the postgame show, Bissonette said:

"They need to look in the mirror and say we need to address these issues. This is a component to winning playoff hockey. Florida has proved that. Other teams have proved that."

He added that if Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid were targeted like Aho and Svechnikov, the Edmonton Oilers wouldn't hesitate to stand up for their players:

"That's a joke. That's a joke to me. That's an issue inside the locker room in my opinion for Carolina. The fact that [Svechnikov] and Aho get attacked there and nobody's there to respond. I don't care if it's Bennett or it's Tkachuk. You've gotta do something."

The Hurricanes lost and are now in danger of losing by sweep for the fourth consecutive time in the Eastern Conference Finals.

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Hurricanes discuss not hitting Matthew Tkachuk back

Matthew Tkachuk went after Sebastian Aho (Getty)

When Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk went after Sebastian Aho, the game was largely in hand. Still, the Carolina Hurricanes did not retaliate to defend their star player.

Taylor Hall discussed the incident after the game and said that while it was related to discipline, it was a "tough look" for the team (via ESPN):

"I think what happened is that we don't want to take penalties after the whistle, and they're very good at goading you into them. But we have to support each other and make sure all five of us are having each other's backs. That was a tough look there, but we'll battle for each other to no end."

Coach Rod Brind'Amour said there "probably" should've been a response from his team since the game was a lost cause by that point:

"In that situation, there probably does. There's a fine line. You don't want to start advocating for that kind of hockey, necessarily. But with the game out of hand, yes, we have to do a better job of that with the game out of hand."

The Hurricanes are facing elimination now, so it's unclear if they'll try to get revenge in Game 4 and risk getting into penalty kill situations.