Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

It was a rather intense and unexpected end to the game yesterday afternoon between the Montreal Canadiens and the Florida Panthers.

It all started with a completely ridiculous gesture by defenseman Niko Mikkola, just as the game had essentially ended.

It could have been dangerous.

But that’s not all.

Niko Mikkola ran away from the Montreal Canadiens players

I wasn’t able to catch the sequence myself, but many analysts, including Matt Drake and Andrew McInnis, spotted another cowardly act from Mikkola.

“Mikkola hits the puck at Savard’s head, then he’s the first to leave the ice. What a coward!”

“Yes, there’s a video where you can see he’s the first player off the ice.”

– Matt Drake

«He literally ran off the ice.»

“What a coward! And like Matt Drake said, he was the first to leave the ice after doing that. Can’t wait for Tuesday!”

– Andrew McInnis

Apparently, you had to be there to see it.

Anyway, it sure looks like Tuesday’s game is going to be a heated one!

A visit for Niko Mikkola at the Bell Centre tomorrow?

It’ll be interesting to see whether head coach Martin St-Louis decides to throw Arber Xhekaj back into the mix for the occasion.

Mikkola, 28 years old, is a 6-foot-6, 204-pound defenseman who isn’t particularly physical.

In 68 games this season, he’s posted 21 points and a solid +13 rating.

Something tells me he’s going to get a visit this Tuesday, live from the Bell Centre in Montreal.