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The Washington Capitals are not happy with the Bruins Brad Marchand for fighting Lars Eller after Eller put the Capitals ahead 7-0. While the Bruins 'vets let Eller know that they did not appreciate him by their bench with words, Marchand took matters into his own hands by fighting Eller in front of the Bruins' net. He kind of jumped Eller, however, and Eller did not get much of a chance to turn down his first career fight.
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Unsurprisingly, Eller lost. It's not exactly Merchant's first scrap, after all. After the game, some Capitals veterans spoke out against Merchant, who left Eller bloodied with a few serious punches to the skull.
Merchant said there was no time to exchange such pleasantries.
"His celebration was unnecessary," Marchand said. "He took an angle in front of our bench and celebrated a 7-0 game, so I just let him know."
The capitals are feeling the effects of an NHL that is sick of repeat offenders. Tom Wilson was suspended 20 games for a dirty hit on the Blues' Oskar Sundqvist. Oshie is hoping that they're consistent with that.
"[The NHL] "I said it, for NBC Sports." Which I think at least Tom's play was on the ice and he was hitting the guy that had the puck milliseconds before. And then you see the sucker punches that Lars took in … Merchant has a history, and we trust that they'll do what they're supposed to do and take care of business. "
Of course, the NHL has a different view of retaliatory fights than blind side hits. But given the perception that Eller has been jumped over, it's understandable that the Capitals want action taken. To be frank, it's unlikely to be a merchant. Contrary to what Oshie seems to believe, the NHL is much harder on on-ice plays, since someone is decking someone in the head.
When Capitals coach Todd Reirden was asked about punishment, he simply said: "We'll let other people take care of that."
If the Capitals want to make an example of Merchant, they may have to wait until next week when Marchand does something else. Even if the fight was premature, it was handled on the ice. According to the "fisticuffs" section of the rulebook, aka the best section, it takes three aggressor violations to get a two-game suspension. Given that this was the first game of the season, Marchand may find himself skating free for the time being.
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