Credit to Winnipeg Jets center David Gustafsson for being willing to drop the gloves, but he bit off way more than he could chew Tuesday night thanks to Bruins tough guy Trent Frederic.
Make no mistake, the Jets completely outclassed the Bruins, cruising to a decisive 8-1 win at CanadaLife Centre. But with Winnipeg having already put the game on ice in the third period, things got spicy in Manitoba with some rough stuff between the two teams.
That all started midway through the final frame when the Jets pushed their lead to 6-1. Gustafsson, not known for his pugilism, accepted an invitation to dance with Frederic, who unloaded a solid right hand and dropped Gustafsson with one punch.
That nastiness spilled over with a nearly simultaneous bout between Boston’s Mark Kastelic and 6-foot-7 Jets defenseman Logan Stanley. While Kastelic might have won the fight, he was left bloodied from the fracas with Stanley.
The bad blood boiled over onto the benches with a shouting match between Jets coach Scott Arniel and B’s interim bench boss Joe Sacco. Then, a third fight broke out on the ensuing faceoff when Boston’s brute defenseman Nikita Zadorov threw down with Winnipeg’s Adam Lowry.
As for the first fight, Gustaffson unsurprisingly was worse for the wear. He left the game and didn’t return, and Arniel noted whatever injuries he suffered required stitches.
The Bruins and Jets meet up again in six weeks when Boston hosts Winnipeg at TD Garden on Jan. 30.
