Punches start flying right after the whistle just a few minutes into the first period.
On Sunday night, the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning didn’t waste any time getting to know each other, with things getting rough less than five minutes into the game’s opening period.
About four and a half minutes had gone by when Lightning players Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel both hit Sabres player Tage Thompson right after the whistle blew. Thompson was caught between the two players, so it was not shocking to see the Sabres react, but it was surprising how intense the situation became.
SOME ROUGH STUFF BETWEEN THE SABRES AND BOLTS LEADS TO DARREN RADDYSH FEEDING RASMUS DAHLIN PUNCHES 😱🫨 pic.twitter.com/3zTwdjJoKE
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 8, 2026
Right away, anger boiled over as players from both teams jumped into the mix and started throwing punches at each other. Eventually, Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin came out from the crowd but quickly got hit hard in the face by Lightning defender Darren Raddysh. Dahlin and Raddysh then dropped their gloves and started fighting, making the situation even crazier on the ice.
SAM CARRICK DROPS THE GLOVES WITH SCOTT SABOURIN FOR A QUICK BOUT 🥊 pic.twitter.com/ZmnemlBosp
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 8, 2026
This tension is far from finished, as later in the period, Sam Carrick and Scott Sabourin also fought, and there’s still a lot of hockey left to play in this game.
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