That escalated — and ended — rather quickly.
Bruins winger Trent Frederic leveled Blue Jackets forward Lane Pederson with a single punch on Thursday in Boston’s 2-1 overtime win against Columbus.
Tensions between teams boiled over in the second period, when Pederson cross-checked Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron up high.
Although Pederson initially received a five-minute major penalty for the move against Bergeron, the punishment was trimmed to a two-minute minor after review.
Once Pederson returned to the ice, however, Frederic welcomed him back with a greeting he won’t soon forget.
As the two dropped gloves, Frederic laid one punch to Pederson’s face before the 25-year-old Blue Jacket landed on the ice.
Fans inside TD Garden immediately began cheering as the refs separated Frederic and Pederson.
Thursday’s scrum with Pederson marked Frederic’s seventh’s fight of the year, according to NBC Sports Boston.
Frederic, 25, later addressed the skirmish.
“I think it probably should have been a five [minute major] and when it’s not, that’s what’s so great about hockey, you get to put it in your own hands,” Frederic told reporters, according to NESN.
The Bruins, now 58-12-5 on the season, set a franchise record for wins and clinched the Presidents’ Trophy with the regular season’s best record.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets are in last place in the Metropolitan Division at 23-43-8.
The Bruins will close out the regular season on April 13 when they visit the Canadiens, while the Blue Jackets will wrap up at home on April 14 against the Sabres.
