Playoff hockey is awesome. Games are usually intense, fast and pretty heated. Such was the case in the second game between the Red Wings and Lightning. With the outcome already decided, the two teams turned their attention to the physical side of the game, engaging in a line brawl late in the third.
Justin Abdelkader looked like he had a score to settle with Mike Blunden. He definitely crossed a line, but it’s doubtful the NHL will hand out any additional punishments even though plenty of those punches were being thrown at a defenseless player down on the ice. A handful of other penalties/punishments could be handed out beyond the penalties which were assessed.
Now that the Red Wings are trailing 2-0 in the series, how will they respond in Game 3? Traditionally, once teams start opting to try to settle things through punches, the series ends in a hurry. Detroit narrowly made it into the playoffs and now they’re going to have to find ways to score and leave the brawls for another time.
