Well, it’s clear the Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals aren’t very fond of each other.
Fighting for top spot in the Metropolitan Division, tempers boiled over between the Blue Jackets and Capitals midway through the third period of Sunday’s game. Things really escalated during a scrum when Josh Anderson decided to give Alex Ovechkin a few jabs to the face.
Chaos suddenly ensued, with gloves, sticks and helmets littering the ice when it was over.
Ovechkin found himself at the bottom of a pile along the boards, wrapped in a headlock with a member of the Blue Jackets while his teammate Tom Wilson looked around for someone to pair up with before order was eventually restored.
On his way to box, #Caps Ovechkin wipes repeatedly at his nose, taunting #CBJ Anderson, who's bleeding. "You got some right there, kid."
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) April 3, 2017
The Capitals, thanks to a trio of second-period goals, left Columbus with a 3-2 victory, strengthening their lead atop the division. They’re now five points up on Pittsburgh and six points up on Columbus. All three teams have four games remaining on their respective schedules.
The Blue Jackets made things interesting in the third period with goals from Jack Johnson and Kyle Quincey, but they couldn’t complete the comeback.
Blue Jackets rookie defenseman Zach Werenski, who was on the receiving end of some big hits today, didn’t play a single shift in the final 18 minutes.
#CBJ Ovechkin with the hit on Werenski, looks like a collarbone or shoulder. #Caps have targeted Werenski in last two games.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) April 3, 2017