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Tensions Boil Over as Svechnikov Unleashes a Dirty Slash from the Back on Ekblad

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Charlie McAfee | Last updated May 28, 2025 10:29 PM ET

Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov shows there is no love lost between himself and the Florida Panthers, after a vicious slash to defenseman Aaron Ekblad.

Suffice to say, the anger and frustration that the Florida Panthers bring on a nightly basis is something that gives every opponent a problem, regardless of who they put on the ice.

Well that frustration certainly reached its boiling point, and Carolina forward Andrei Svechnikov seemed to have enough of the Panthers, and targeted Aaron Ekblad with a vicious slash to the back of his leg.

This wasn't in the heat of the battle no, this was post-whistle. While it wasn't really called for whatsoever, it does show the way the Panthers get under their opponents skin and cause them to make a mistake.

A key part in helping Carolina make it to the Conference Finals, Svechnikov has 11 points in 14 games (8G, 3A) but was held without a shot in Games 2 & 3 of the Finals.

Luckily, Ekblad didn't come away with any serious injuries, and some anti-Panther fans would think that perhaps the defender took a little bit of a dive trying to get a call, but either way you can clearly see the tension is thick and intense.

However it seems that Ekblad also wasn't completely innocent at the end of things either.

Fans are also rightly pointing out that Ekblad already got in trouble this postseason, and he has a reputation for throwing some dirtier hits.

Either way, it seems that Svechnikov was finally exhausted with the Panthers' antics and took it out on Ekblad.

But can you blame him?

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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