To say that the 6-2 bludgeoning by the Philadelphia Flyers of the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night was unexpected would be a complete and utter lie. For sixty minutes, we saw a team with immense talent, incredible chemistry, and veteran leadership take command of a game with ease. On the other side of the ice, we saw the Ottawa Senators, battered to pieces, winners of just one game since December 27th, a team with no heart, no drive, and no finish.
To say that my post-game blog wasn't done about five minutes into the first period would be a lie, too, but color me surprised when I scrapped the entire thing as the final horn sounded. Why? Because, for the second time between these two teams, a massive line brawl became the focus point of the night. But first, rewind to 2004 when the two got scrappin' in record fashion, and note the utter hatred between the two teams:
When the Flyers Andrej Mezsaros (define irony) put the final nail in the coffin with the sixth goal of the night at 12:34, the game was all but over. The Ottawa Senators were again victimized by poor play on both ends of the ice, and would undoubtedly hear about how little this team cares these days from the media types after the game went final. So, to make the fans and writers forget about another horrifying showing, the Senators decided to get chippy, and without hesitation, the Flyers obliged.
As multiple people around the blogosphere pointed out, the two teams managed to amass eighty penalty minutes in just one second (16:12-16:13), an almost unprecedented statistical feat. Some of the scraps came from the unlikeliest of sources, but let's walk through it once again.
The play got rather physical a bit earlier on in the game, when Claude Giroux put a big hit on the Senators' Jesse Winchester. Chris Kelly and Jarkko Ruutu took exception to Giroux's run and preceded to go after the young scorer, all culminating in a scrap between Jesse Winchester and Jeff Carter:
Giroux, obviously aware that a target would be placed on his back by the Senators, decided to come right out and answer the call, throwing down with Nick Foligno at the 16:12 mark.
With two fights sparking the emotions on both ends of the bench, you knew it was going to spill over in a hurry, and it took only one second for another infamous line brawl between these two teams. Watch as pretty much every player on the ice makes sure to get the gloves off in a hurry and find a dancing partner around the ice:
A lot of talk was made about Jody Shelley's obvious avoidance of heavyweight Matt Carkner in favor of Chris Neil, and the line in the sand has definitely been drawn between the two teams. Mark this date on your calendars, folks: February 26th. The two teams will meet at Scotiabank Place, and you can expect another physical game between the two.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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