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Pens, Panthers renew hostilities after Saturday’s feisty affair

Kris Letang, Willie Mitchell

Kris Letang, Willie Mitchell

AP

Things got ugly during Pittsburgh’s 3-1 win over Florida on the weekend at Consol -- the two teams combined for 76 penalty minutes -- and that’s set the stage for tonight’s rematch in Sunrise.

“They started off pretty hard and were firing pucks and finishing every hit,” Sidney Crosby said of Florida’s spirited effort, per the Herald. “Both teams got into it pretty early.”

The ugliest incident of the game came late in the first period, when Willie Mitchell lost the plot during a scrap with Pens defenseman Kris Letang and hit Letang with his own helmet:

Surprisingly, Mitchell wasn’t ejected from the contest and, perhaps even more surprisingly, has yet to be disciplined by the NHL (no suspension nor fine to date.)

The Mitchell-Letang fracas wasn’t the only feud played out on Saturday, though. Jussi Jokinen got into it with Evgeni Malkin, and Dave Bolland got a pretty healthy slash in on Sidney Crosby.

“We’re lucky we get to play them again on Monday,” defenseman Erik Gudbranson told the Herald. “We have to find a way to win.”