While not generally considered a dirty player, Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Nikita Kucherov will hear from the NHL Department of Player Safety thanks to his actions on Monday against the rival Florida Panthers.

He caught Panthers assistant captain Matthew Tkachuk with a brutal knee-on-knee hit and was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

And while knee-on-knee collisions can threaten careers, the good news for the Panthers is that Tkachuk was back out on the ice soon afterward despite suffering what could have been a serious injury.

He was initially helped off of the ice and seemed doubtful to be able to return to the game.

Kucherov has once again elevated his play and made Lightning fans forget about losing former captain Steven Stamkos to free agency; he has scored 14 goals with 35 assists, a full 82-game pace of 37 goals and 93 assists.

Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers are the reigning Stanley Cup champions

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It's been a good last few years to be a hockey fan in the state of Florida, as the Stanley Cup has been won by a Florida-based franchise three times since 2020.

Kucherov helped the Lightning win the Cup back to back in 2020 and 2021 while making a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2022; meanwhile, Tkachuk and the Panthers raised the Stanley Cup this past spring after a thrilling seven-game series victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

During his personal day with the Cup, he brought it back to his native St. Louis and had a great time bringing it to his former elementary school as well as the local police and fire departments along with a children's hospital, via NHL.com

“It’s been amazing,” he said. “I’m trying to have that little mix of fitting everything I want possible in, but also want to enjoy it with those who are close to me. It’s been awesome so far and I’m sure the day’s going to continue to be awesome.”

Tkachuk has scored 13 goals with 22 assists in 30 games so far this season for the Panthers, his third with the club since being acquired in the blockbuster 2022 trade from the Calgary Flames.