Austin Watson nodded with recognition after landing a questionable hit on Garnet Hathaway on Saturday, as he understood why Troy Brouwer demanded immediate retribution.
And, as you can see from the video above the headline, Brouwer got that bloody payback after beating Watson in a fight.
Watson (who isn’t that far removed from a two-game suspension) was ejected for his hit. It wasn’t the only nasty moment between the Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames, either, as the toxic exchanges included Anthony Bitetto’s ugly cross-check on Sam Bennett.
(Video or a GIF of Bitetto’s hit will be added if it becomes available.)
Some other penalties reduced some of the advantage for the Flames, but they ultimately still received serious man-advantage opportunities amid all of the violence, and they weren’t able to convert.
The best news is that Hathaway might end up being OK after a scary-looking check. He returned to the game during the third period.
—
James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.