(UPDATE: Svechnikov in concussion protocol, unlikely for Game 4 vs. Capitals)
The 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs have been predictable through five days and that continued Monday night during the Carolina Hurricanes’ Game 3 win over the Washington Capitals.
Not long after the Hurricanes grabbed a 1-0 first period lead, Alex Ovechkin and Andrei Svechnikov exchanged a few slashes following a tussle among the boards and then, well, dropped the gloves for a scrap.
The end result was not good for the Hurricanes rookie as he would leave the ice with help and later be ruled out for the night. Both players would receive fighting majors. Ovechkin was seen nursing his right hand while serving his major, but he played the rest of the opening period with no issue.
Ironically, asked Svechnikov about competing against Ovechkin after morning skate. "I followed him as a kid. Good guy. Leader of that team. It's fun to play against him." Now, this.
— Chip Alexander (@ice_chip) April 15, 2019
Svechnikov wasn’t the only Hurricane lost in the first period. Forward Micheal Ferland suffered an upper-body injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
“I’m not a big fighter, and he’s the same way,” Ovechkin said afterward. “He asked me to fight and I said, ‘Let’s go, yeah.’ I hope he’s OK. You don’t want to see a guy get hurt.”
Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour wasn’t happy with the incident.
“He slashes him twice, Ovi, whack, whack, and then Svech gives it back,” he said. “I don’t know if there’s words exchanged, but one guy’s gloves come off way first and that’s Ovi’s, not our guy’s. So it’s a little bit frustrating because he got hurt. It’s his first fight, played 90 games. Never fought in his life. Pretty sure Ovi knew that. That stuff bothers me. But it’s done.”
Hurricanes-Capitals Game 4 from PNC Arena will be Thursday, 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.