Matthew Tkachuk clearly has no problem standing up to Drew Doughty.
The Calgary Flames rookie did so in a big way nearly two weeks ago - delivering an elbow to the Los Angeles Kings defender to earn a two-game suspension. Then on Tuesday, the 19-year-old was vocal ahead of a pivotal Wednesday matchup, stating he thought Doughty's assertion to the media - that Tkachuk is a dirty player - was out of character.
"I expected more from him, honestly, than to go right to the media and start complaining after a loss," Tkachuk said, according to Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun. "But he’s a good player. He’s a good enough player where he doesn’t have to worry about any of that stuff. He’s a skilled guy and everything like that, and he’s won a couple of Cups.
"He’s still a real good player, so I don’t think he’ll be too worried about it tomorrow."
Related - Doughty calls out Tkachuk: 'He's a pretty dirty player, that kid'
As if both clubs didn't have enough animosity ahead of Wednesday's contest, there are also big playoff implications at stake.
For the Flames, if they defeat the Kings in any fashion, they'll punch their ticket to the playoffs, while a loss will almost all but seal the Kings' fate.
It's no surprise the postseason will be Tkachuk's main focus Wednesday.
"(Doughty) is a good player, so I don’t think his focus will be too much on me," Tkachuk said. "My focus isn’t on him. My focus is on the playoffs."
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