Hockey Fight of the Night: Milan Lucic vs Nick Boynton

Midway through the second period of Friday night's game between the Panthers and Bruins in Boston, veteran Florida defenseman Nick Boynton decided it was time to give his team a jolt. Down 4-1 after giving up a pair of goals to Boston in less than two minutes, it was clear the game was soon going to be out of reach for the Panthers unless somebody on their side of the ice stood up to the Bruins.

And when Boynton went looking for a dance partner, he found Milan Lucic.

Bad choice.

It's easy to understand what Boynton was trying to do, and the fact of the matter is that at some level, you have to admire the guy's guts for dropping his gloves and challenging one of the most fearsome fighters in the NHL. But in the end, guts didn't matter. Lucic overpowered Boynton and then he bloodied him before the two tumbled to the ice, leaving the home crowd absolutely electrified. Boston went on to prevail, 4-2. Appropriately enough, the beat down occurred on 'Ode to Slap Shot Night' at TD Banknorth Garden.

Did I forget to mention that the Canadiens announced on Friday that defenseman Mike Komisarek will miss another month with a shoulder injury? That's on top of four games he's already missed after a November 13 tussle with, you guessed it, Lucic. The same Lucic that sent Mike Van Ryn of the Toronto Maple Leafs through the glass in October.