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There’s nothing quite like the intensity of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the heat of competition spilled over into a brawl between the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens on Friday night to the point where players were fighting on the bench.
The period had ended in Game 3 of this first-round series, in which the Capitals were up 2-0. Capitals star Tom Wilson, known for being an instigator as much as an offensive threat, and Canadiens’ Josh Anderson were jawing back and forth as they went toward the locker rooms.
Things escalated quite quickly, as they began to fight on the Capitals’ bench, while a linesman attempted to get in between them. But it was to no avail, as the referee was only caught up in the fight pushing its way down the bench, and they eventually fell to the floor.
Other players started to get involved and going after each other as Wilson and Anderson kept fighting, including Washington’s Lars Eller and Montreal’s Arber Xhekaj.
“I was on my way to walk across the ice . . . so then I had to reverse my course and head back, because there was two large individuals coming through the door that I was trying to exit,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said about the altercation after the 6-3 loss to the Canadiens.
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“It was just two competitive teams, two competitive guys going at it.”
“Things escalated, got out of control there a little bit,” Anderson added. “At the end of the day, you’re just trying to stick up for your teammates.”
Wilson, who received a 10-minute game misconduct and a roughing minor, the same discipline as Anderson, was seen mocking the Canadiens after the fight was eventually broken up.
The Canadiens led after the second period 3-2, and they didn’t look back to collect their much-needed first win in the best-of-seven series on Friday night.
Tension was felt on the Bell Centre ice before puck drop, as Wilson and Xhekaj were exchanging some words during warm-ups, which began making its rounds on social media.
Again, these are two players known for not only sticking up for teammates, but also ruffling the feathers of opponents whenever they can.
We might see more fireworks between these two squads, as Game 4 on Sunday sees Montreal looking to even it up, while Washington hopes to have a commanding lead with the second round in mind.
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