SUNRISE, Fla. — A rare goalie fight broke out with 14 minutes left in Monday night’s game between the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and San Jose Sharks that had become increasingly chippy with post-whistle pushing and shoving.
Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky beelined from his crease to even things up after San Jose’s Alex Nedeljkovic injected himself into a scrum in the corner.
Bobrovsky told reporters after the game he felt Nedeljkovic’s reaction to the hit was “a little bit too much” and “over the line.”
“I went to make sure to get him and let him know,” he said. “I felt just like I made a decision and went straight into it.”
In a postgame interview with NBC Sports California, Nedeljkovic said “I was just doing my best not to get punched. He came out swinging, so I was just trying not to lose any teeth. It might have straightened my nose out a little bit more, but I don’t want it that way.”
Panthers fans chanted, “Bobby! Bobby!” after the two netminders were done tussling. Cheers followed when Bobrovsky returned from a brief trip to the locker room.
According to ESPN Research, Nedeljkovic is the fifth goaltender in NHL history with a goal, assist and fighting major in his career, joining Ron Hextall, Billy Smith, Chris Osgood and Mike Smith.
Bobrovsky and Nedeljkovic each were issued a 5-minute major penalty for fighting and an additional 2-minute penalty for leaving the crease to take part in an altercation. Both goalies stayed in the game, which San Jose won 4-1.
The game also marked the season debut for Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk, who had three shots on goal in 20:58 of ice time. Tkachuk missed the first 47 games of the season following offseason surgery for a torn adductor and sports hernia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
