Fight Night Between Boston Bruins And Blue Jackets

BOSTON – It was fight night with the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Thursday night as a bunch of fisticuffs broke out between the B’s and the Columbus Blue Jackets. The first was Jakub Lauko’s first NHL fight as he dropped the gloves with Massachusetts native Billy Sweezey for a spirited fight where the fourth line got in a few solid right-handed punches.

Perhaps looking to provide some energy, Lauko also tried to pump up the crowd once he arrived at the penalty box with the Boston Bruins trailing in the game. Also Sweezey’s dad looked pretty pumped up after watching his son’s fight in the crowd, which is totally understandable.

Jakub Lauko and Billy Sweezey drop the gloves. Sweezey's dad loves it pic.twitter.com/wpGydrWobk

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The Boston Bruins ended up tying the score a little later in the second period, so clearly the energy did get a little elevated after Lauko dropped the gloves.

The second fight was a quicker bout, but one that was absolutely happening after young Blue Jackets played Lane Pederson cross-checked Patrice Bergeron in the face in front of the Columbus net. It was ruled a five-minute major on the ice after the referees peeled off the incensed Bruins players from the offending Blue Jackets forward, but the on-ice officials unbelievably downgraded it to a two-minute crosschecking minor after a brief review of the play.

That led to Trent Frederic dropping the gloves with Pederson right off the next faceoff when the Blue Jackets players was on the ice, and Frederic then dropping Pederson with one punch. It sure looked like Pederson wanted nothing to do with the fight as he quickly tumbled to the ice and the linesmen broke things up.

Trent Frederic drops Lane Pederson to the ice with one punch. pic.twitter.com/KiSHyEd7eo

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“It’s great. We always say that we’re there for one another, and obviously, it means a lot for him to do that after that play,” said Patrice Bergeron postgame of Frederic having his back. “I like to think that we’re like that for everyone. I feel like we’re a tight group and it’s a pack mentality.

“It’s one of those things where, obviously, it means a lot that he stepped up, but I know he would have done it for anyone else.”

It remains to be seen if there will be any more fights in the third period, but Thursday night’s game was already more entertaining and effort-filled than Tuesday’s lacking 2-1 loss to the Predators.