The Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals brawled after the end of the second period during a wild 6-3 Montreal victory Friday night that also saw both starting goalies leave at different times with injuries.
Players were on the ice to head toward their respective dressing rooms when things heated up.
Washington’s Tom Wilson and Montreal’s Josh Anderson started going after each other. Their fight continued on the Capitals bench while a linesman tried to separate them. They ended up on the floor on the bench.
Their actions cost them $5,000 as both were fined on Saturday for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“Things escalated, got out of control there a little bit,” Anderson told reporters. “And the end of the day, you’re just trying to stick up for your teammates.”
While that was going on, other players started trying to get involved or tussling with each other.
Wilson and Anderson were given roughing minors and 10-minute misconducts. Washington’s Lars Eller and Montreal’s Arber Xhekaj also received roughing minors.
“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 told reporters after the game. “It was just two competitive teams, two competitive guys going at it.”
After things were broken up, Wilson looked at Canadiens players and mocked them that they were crying.
Montreal won Game 3 as Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky, the three forwards on their top line, each chipped in a goal. The Canadiens cut their series deficit to 2-1.
Sam Montembault, Logan Thompson injury updates
Goalie Sam Montembault left the game with an apparent injury in the middle of the second period and was replaced by rookie Jakub Dobes. The Canadiens announced that Montembault would not return to the game.
Capitals goalie Logan Thompson also had a rough go. He was slashed in the head by Montreal’s Nick Suzuki and took a shot up high but stayed in the game. He later needed help getting off the ice in the third period after teammate Dylan Strome collided with him on the fifth Montreal goal.
According to NHL.com, neither coach provided an update on his goalie on Saturday.
Oilers 7, Kings 4
The Oilers picked up their first win of the series with the help of two reviews on the same play.
Edmonton’s Evander Kane appeared to score at 13:18 to tie the game at 4-4, but on-ice officials ruled that he kicked in the puck. A league review determined that even though he did kick the puck, he knocked it into the net with his stick.
The goal counted and Kings coach Jim Hiller challenged for goaltender interference. He was overruled and the Kings were penalized for the unsuccessful challenge.
It took Evan Bouchard 10 seconds to score the go-ahead goal on the power play.
“We felt like it was goalie interference, so we challenged it,” Hiller told reporters. “Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose on those and tonight (we) lost and it cost us big time. No other way around it.”
Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard got the Game 3 start after Stuart Skinner gave up 11 goals in the opening two losses. Pickard made 24 saves, including several down the stretch as the Kings pressed for the tying goal.
Connor McDavid and Connor Brown scored empty-net goals to put the game away.
Devils 3, Hurricanes 2 (2OT)
NEWARK, N.J. − The New Jersey Devils have never been swept out of a playoff series since moving to New Jersey, and that streak will continue.
Following a strong effort but a hard loss in Game 2, the Devils brought that momentum home to Newark and held and built a two-goal lead that would eventually evaporate.
Simon Nemec would get the game winner in double overtime against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 to draw the Devils within two games to one in the series.
Dawson Mercer’s goal in the third period gave the Devils a multigoal lead for the first time in this series, which proved crucial as the Hurricanes would tie the game with two power play goals in the third period to force overtime.
— Robert Aitken Jr., Northjersey.com