Thrashers and Bruins Highlight Break Night
As the NHL dives into Christmas break it put 13 games on the schedule last night. There were 10 fights overall, with the most action coming out of Boston.
Shawn Thornton and Eric Boulton dropped the gloves off of the opening faceoff. A great, long bout, it immediately put Bruins fans on their feet and Boston took a lead a few minutes later that stood the rest of the game.
Thornton didn't stop there. He added two goals and was first star of the game. Thornton now has 7 goals on the season, a career high, with half a season left.
With a little over four minutes left in the game Freddy Meyer laid out Milan Lucic. A scrum quickly turned into a brawl, with a trio of fights coming out of it. The most unlikely combatant was Marc Savard, who recently returned to the ice after suffering from a concussion:
"The first thought obviously was my head," said Savard, who was able to laugh about it afterward. "I don't want to get punched in my head and something happens where I'm done. But I just battled and tried to do what (Shawn Thornton) taught me a couple of times in case it ever happened. I wouldn't say I'm a professional, but I made sure I got five for fighting, instead of two for roughing. I got a good cheer for the five, I heard, so that was nice."
Over in Dallas Jarome Iginla and Jamie Benn dropped the gloves and gave us a Fight of the Year candidate. Benn landed some hard shots, bloodying Iginla who threw and threw and threw, long after Benn tired out.
Iginla, who makes a habit of removing his own shielded helmet, once again de-bucketed. Benn, who doesn't wear a shield, left his helmet on. Fair or "code" foul?
