It may seem unorthodox, but there may be a new strategy implemented into practices after Pittsburgh and New Jersey‘s contest last night.
Basically: drop the gloves, stop a goal.
Jesper Bratt received a stretch pass just before the Pittsburgh blue line. He skated in and buried the puck on Casey DeSmith. It would have extended the lead by two for the Devils, except the whistle had been blown seconds before Bratt got the shot off.
Phil Kessel… in a fight? 😳
That's not something you see everyday. #IceSurfing pic.twitter.com/2FXWkMoFj8
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 14, 2018
The reason for the whistle? In the Devils’ end of the rink, Phil Kessel and Brett Seney got into an altercation that caused the referees to stop the play.
Seney stepped up on Kessel, which Phil the Thrill didn’t like. The pair exchanged words and eventually dropped the gloves, all while the Devils were creating a scoring chance.
When the dust settled, the two were given roughing calls and sent to the box. The goal was waived off and play resumed with a puck drop in Pittsburgh’s end.
It’s a lot to take in. Ultimately, Bratt’s goal didn’t count and when play resumed the Devils were on the Power Play because Kessel received a double-minor for Roughing.
New Jersey would go on to defeat Pittsburgh 4-2.