"Scum of the earth"; "Suspend him": NHL fans call for Brady Tkachuk's suspension for slamming into Jason Zucker from behind 

Fans are calling for Brady Tkachuk's suspension after the Ottawa Senators forward slammed Buffalo Sabres' Jason Zucker from behind during Thursday night's game.

The hit occurred early in the first period along the boards in the neutral zone. Zucker got driven hard into the glass by Tkachuk after passing the puck. He fell to the ice and needed assistance getting off the ice. Tkachuk received a minor penalty for charging on the play.

Fans erupted on social media following the incident, directing harsh criticism at Tkachuk.

One fan posted on X/Twitter:

"Brady Tkachuk is the scum of the earth."

Another demanded:

"Suspend him."

Here are some more reactions from fans on X:

"Disgusting play by Brady Tkachuk. They called it a 2-minute minor for charging. Get outta here," one fan wrote.

"Tkachuk should be looking at a suspension for this one @NHLPlayerSafety," another fan said.

"And this is why the Sens will never win a cup or produce anything productive, they just try to injure players and waste air," one fan added.

“'Tkachuk is going to finish his check' by barreling a dude down from behind who never saw him coming? Lmao. I figure finishing a check is when you are already defending a guy with the puck, and then he moves the puck, and then you hit him," wrote a fan.

Zucker returned before the end of the first period. Buffalo went on to win 4-0 against the Senators. Jack Quinn (two goals), Ryan McLeod and Dylan Cozens scored for the Sabres. Anton Forsberg made 17 saves, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped all 35 shots.

Sabres HC Lindy Ruff on Brady Tkachuk check on Jason Zucker

Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff discussed his team's response after forward Jason Zucker was injured following a hit from Brady Tkachuk.

"I think the response was good, you know, Gibby [Dennis Gilbert] went after him later and we didn't really want to do anything and then, squared up there near the end of the game," Ruff said postgame via NHL.com. "But I thought Zucker came back and played well, so you know, we got through it."

Ruff was also pleased with the Sabres performance, saying:

"I thought really from start to finish, we got a couple of early goals, played the game right away."

He also highlighted the importance of big saves at key moments and successful penalty kills that prevented the opposition's power play from generating much offense.

The Sabres will look ahead to Saturday's matchup against the Seattle Kraken at KeyBank Center.