Most people probably don’t expect a lot of vitriol between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets, but there sure seems to be some hard feelings between the two teams.
While it wasn’t a lengthy bout, Blake Wheeler got revenge on Evgeni Malkin for a controversial hit by landing a quick flurry of punches in a rare fight for the two.*
If that was too “amateurish” for you, Tom Sestito engaged in a heavyweight fight with Chris Thorburn not long after. You can see both fights and the general violence between the two teams in the video above. There was also some pretty hectic scoring:
Malkin has scored a goal in this game so far, while Winnipeg is leading 3-2 in a busy first period, so it remains to be seen which star forward will have the last laugh on Wednesday.
After the Penguins’ 7-4 win, Blake Wheeler said he respected Malkin for “answering the bell” while the Pittsburgh star admitted that his hit was questionable:
Malkin on the fight: "I knew it wasn't a great hit. I respect (Wheeler). I was ready. Wasn't my greatest fight, couple punches. I lost" -SK
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) March 9, 2017
* - Odd note: Searches for fights involving both Wheeler and Malkin yielded results with Patrice Bergeron. Hmm.
