Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

Mar 30, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Trent Frederic (11) fights Columbus Blue Jackets center Lane Pederson (18) during the second period at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Blue Jackets center Lane Pederson truly poked the bear — and in an absolutely inadvisable manner at that — in the second period of Thursday’s head-to-head with the Bruins.

And he paid for it, dearly, with a visit from the Bruins’ Trent Frederic.

With his team protecting a one-goal lead at the Bruins, but with the Bruins pressuring the Jackets’ Michael Hutchinson, the 25-year-old Pederson blew back into the Columbus zone and leveled Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron with a crosscheck to the head.

Originally ruled a five-minute major, a video review reduced the penalty to two minutes (despite Bergeron bleeding from the ear) and kept Pederson in this game, where he was greeted by Frederic in his first faceoff after the incident.

The greeting was a wave, handshake, or nod for that matter. It was a one-punch that ended their fight as soon as it started.

  • My goodness.

    In what was Frederic’s first fight since his scrap with the Sabres’ Dylan Cozens back in Buffalo on Mar. 19, Frederic made quick work of Pederson in what was Pederson’s second fight of the season.

    It was not the first fight in what’s been a surprisingly heated game between the sides, as Jakub Lauko dropped the mitts with Massachusetts native Billy Sweezey in the second period.

  • The Bruins entered tonight’s game with the 10th-most fighting majors this season, at 22. With two fights tonight, they’ve moved into a three-way tie with the Ducks and Coyotes for the eighth-most in hockey.

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