Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier and Ross Johnston dropped the gloves tonight in St. Louis, and it was worth the price of admission on its own.
The clip shows the two locking up at center ice, each with a fistful of the other's sweater, neither willing to let go for what felt like forever.
It came 21 seconds into the second period, with Columbus already up 2-0.
The Blue Jackets were outshooting the Blues 10-4 at the time.
Spittin' Chiclets summed it up in three words: what a tilt. This is the early leader for tilt of the year, and it isn't particularly close.
It looked like two movers trying to carry the same couch through a door built for one. Nobody was backing out of that doorway.
Johnston came in without a point on a $2,000,000 cap hit, sitting at +1.
-
Mathieu Olivier and Ross Johnston unleash the fight of the year
Olivier already has 2 goals on a $3,000,000 deal, so he isn't just there for the rough stuff.
Columbus came in at 2-1-0 after a 3-2 shootout win over Pittsburgh on Friday.
This was also the Blue Jackets' first road game of the season after three straight at home.
Matthew Knies leads the Blue Jackets with 4 points, including a game-winner.
Rick Bowness will gladly take that kind of energy from a group playing on no rest, especially on the road with a lead to protect.
St. Louis arrived at 1-2-1, so Jim Montgomery's group badly needed a jolt.
The Blues dropped a 3-2 decision past regulation to San Jose on Thursday, their third straight game without a win.
Connor McMichael leads the Blues with 4 points, one of them a power-play goal.
Did it change the game? The final result will decide whether anyone remembers it as a turning point.
Columbus hosts Florida on Tuesday, while St. Louis heads to Ottawa that same night.
These teams don't meet again until March 27 in Columbus. Johnston and Olivier will both have that date circled.
Is Mathieu Olivier vs. Ross Johnston the best tilt of the season so far?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Brady Tkachuk's huge hit on Kirill Kaprizov sparks a massive scrum
