The Ottawa Senators had a rough moment against the Nashville Predators, both on the ice and on the bench. It started when Travis Hamonic took a hit and limped off the ice, clearly favoring his left leg. He made his way to the bench, where Thomas Chabot gave up his seat to help him get comfortable. Moments later, Chabot got tangled up in the corner while chasing the puck. He thought there should have been an interference call, but the play continued. As Nashville controlled the puck, Ottawa took a penalty for holding the stick. The penalized player looked confused about the call, while Chabot sat on the bench visibly frustrated about what he thought was a missed call at his expense.
Then chaos broke out on the bench. The player in the box took out his frustration by slamming his stick, not realizing the blade had snapped off. The broken shaft flew and struck Hamonic—the same injured teammate who had just swapped seats with him—in the face. Chabot immediately checked if he was okay. Hamonic confirmed he got hit in the face, and the two exchanged a mix of apologies and shock. The whole thing was an accidental mess fueled by emotions, and Hamonic ended up taking an extra shot to a day that already hurt.