Paul Bissonnette Torches Hurricanes Following Controversial Tkachuk Hit on Aho

Surprisingly, the Carolina Hurricanes did nothing. Aho, one of the team's more skilled players and an alternate captain, received no on-ice protection from his teammates, a decision that was criticized, including by analyst Paul Bissonnette.

'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.'

'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.'

- Paul Bissonnette

He noted that if hits like that were being thrown on Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers would have defended them immediately.

The Hurricanes lost the game thereafter and are now threatened with being swept at the Eastern Conference Finals for the fourth time in a row.

As the game was already out of hand when the incident occurred, everyone expected Carolina to take some revenge.

Taylor Hall and Rod Brind'Amour were also unhappy with the lack of response

Taylor Hall called the lack of a response a 'tough look,' and head coach Rod Brind'Amour admitted there 'probably' should have been one, especially with the game all but lost.

'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.'

- Rod Brind'Amour

Trailing 3-0 in the series now, it is uncertain whether Carolina will attempt to respond physically in Game 4 or stay disciplined to not take penalties while trying to prolong their season.