Ryan Reaves makes fun of Matthew Tkachuk with on-ice gesture

The rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers is doing nothing but growing, ever since the Panthers eliminated the Leafs in their first second-round playoff bid in decades. That rivalry was present last night, however, the Leafs have a few more tough guys on their roster than they did last season.

That was highlighted when Matthew Tkachuk tried some of his usual antics against the Leafs. Instead of getting away with his normal bullying, though, Tkachuk was met with Ryan Reaves, to which he immediately stopped his antics.

Ryan Reaves has more than proved his worth for the Leafs, in my opinion, this season. While he struggled out of the gate to stay in the lineup, he has been a presence on the ice reminding people who they will have to answer to. He has also found a bit of a stride over the last few weeks on the Leafs' fourth line, making a case to be in the lineup for game 1 of the playoffs.

Between him, Domi, Bertuzzi, McCabe, Benoit, and even Matthew Knies at times, the Leafs are a much grittier team this season up and down the ice. They even have Matthews jumping into brawls and getting ejected. We will see if this style of play pays off in the playoffs.

As seen on Hockey Patrol - "Ryan Reaves trolls Matthew Tkachuk with an epic gesture"