Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Mike Blunden reacts to the game-ending line brawl and his altercation with Detroit Red Wings left wing Justin Abdelkader.
It’s always an interesting time when the Detroit Red Wings come to town, but Friday night at the Amalie Arena may have been one of the most insane spectacles we have seen all season long. Late in the third period of Game 2 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning found themselves up 5-2 on the Detroit Red Wings. As time continued to tick off the clock, things started to really heat up on the ice.
Less than one minute was left on the clock when former Tampa Bay Lightning center Brad Richards decided to take a slash at the stick and body of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Andrej Sustr, of whom Richards had previously been battling in front of the Lightning net for positioning. All of a sudden, sparks started to fly and the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings found themselves engulfed in an all-out line brawl.
As most of you know by now, this is not the part of the chaos most Tampa Bay Lightning fans took exception to. What most Tampa Bay Lightning fans took exception to is when Detroit Red Wings left wing Justin Abdelkader decided to unleash a barrage of punches on Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Mike Blunden, who found himself in a defenseless position as he was virtually pinned down to the ice.
It took no time at all before fans began
expressing their not-so-kind feelings
for Abdelkader and asking for blood, and not the blood dripping from Blunden’s face after being caught by his visor. Everyone, including us here at
, has their opinion on what happened. One of the resounding opinions is the one that has yet to be spoken, the NHL Department of Player Safety; an opinion we may never receive.
The one person everyone wants to hear from on the matter has finally offered up his version of what happened on the ice last night in the final moments of Game 2, Lightning right wing Mike Blunden. Blunden
following the game, and of course, having his faced repaired. Unlike most of us here in the Bolts Nation, Blunden seemed to take everything with stride.
"“It’s part of the game.” Blunden said. “You know, stuff happens, emotions get high and unfortunately my visor came down and split me open, but it’s a part of the game. It’s part of the playoffs.”"
While there may be plenty of difference of opinion on the matter, there is one thing we can all agree about here. The tension between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings are far from over. This could turn into a long series and you can bet your bottom dollar we haven’t seen anywhere near the end of battles between these two teams.
When asked if he felt there would be any carryover from Game 2 into Game 3, which will take place on Sunday night at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Blunden just smiled.
"“Yeah, definitely.” Blunden said. “It’s been a lot of fun, it’s been playoff hockey. I’m sure people have enjoyed watching it and it’s been fun. Hopefully, we keep going.”"
If last night’s game-ending line brawl is what we have to look forward to as this series continues on there is no doubt in our mind this is going to be a long and arduous series. On the bright side, at least you can rest assured you’ll never be bored.
Next: Lightning, Red Wings Erupt In Line Brawl (Video)
The Tampa Bay Lightning will head to the Joe Louis Arena to take on the Detroit Red Wings in Game 3 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:00 p.m. How long do you think it will be before the sparks start flying and these two teams are in each other’s faces once again?