In a really wild game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins, the crazy got turned up a notch just prior to the buzzer sounding to end overtime. The two clubs traded goals throughout the game, with the Bruins storming back with three goals in the third period to erase a 2-0 Jackets lead. Columbus quickly tied it back up and not even overtime was enough to solve it.
However, before the final buzzer could sound, Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout and Bruins forward Milan Lucic traded some shoves. After Lucic shoved Prout, the two stood toe to toe. After some posturing, Prout dropped the gloves, but Lucic didn’t.
Here's a look via GIF from /r/hockey:
He then tried to grab hold. As Lucic was getting rid of his left glove, Prout delivered a heavy right cross right to Lucic’s jaw. That felled the Bruins' power forward and left him bloodied... and very upset.
Lucic tried to go after Prout after the linesmen intervened. He even ended up throwing one of his gloves at Prout, probably upset that he was never given a chance to drop them for real.
This is a tough one, because it could be viewed that Prout took a bit of a cheap shot since Lucic didn’t get his gloves off. That said, when Lucic advanced on Prout, you can kind of understand why the Blue Jackets blueliner felt it was time to throw.
This one might be a gray area in hockey’s unwritten, and often inconsistent “code.”
Perhaps the funniest thing about this exchange is that the two merely received roughing penalties. Again, that's an ungloved punch to an opponent's face. Sounds like a little more than roughing there.
Bruins head coach Claude Julien was none too pleased about that one.
The Bruins ended up getting the last laugh, though. They earned the win in the shootout.
