After a dangerous hit in Fabbro forcing him to leave the game; Sillinger took it into own hands
During the second period of last night's game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning, chaos erupted on the ice.
Lightning rookie Morgan Geekie delivered a knee-on-knee hit to Blue Jackets defenseman Dante Fabbro. The hit forced Fabbro out of the game with a lower-body injury, and he did not return.
In response, Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger took exception to the hit, and he went after Geekie. He was able to land a few punches before Geekie fell to the ice.
The situation quickly escalated into a full-blown melee, with players from both teams piling in. At one point, Columbus’ Mathieu Olivier was seen launching himself onto the top of the dogpile, adding to the chaos.
Sillinger continued exchanging words with Brandon Hagel, making it clear exactly why he was furious about the knee-on-knee hit. The heated exchange lasted for about a minute before the pile broke up, and the officials handed out penalties.
Sillinger received a 2-5-10, totalling 17 minutes in penalties, which gave the Lightning a five-minute power play.
Unfortunately, these types of things happen when the players feel like the game isn't being policed well enough.
After seeing the hit that sent Fabbro to the dressing room. Sillinger took exception and made the Lightning players know he was upset with the situation.
That to me, shows that Sillinger is growing into one of the leaders on this team.
What's Next - The Blue Jackets return home on Thursday to play the New Jersey Devils.
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