It's been a while since we've seen a Penguins fight, which I suppose may have been needed after the triple feature against Toronto on October 10. So what has Eric Godard gotten himself...wait, Chris Kunitz? Really?
Meeting up in the Florida goal, Ballard is all over Kunitz, and even manages to take get his helmet off. The two exchange a few shoves before the gloves come flying off. And then they take a nice little tour of the ice. Okay, not really - but since their equipment was sitting near the goal, it was a little odd to see them skate off to the blue line.
Ballard connects with a jab and grabbing for the jersey, so Kunitz responds by bringing down the hammer to the back. A bit of struggling, and Kunitz hits a low uppercut to the chin (that may or may not have hit pads) and connects with the back of Ballard's head, taking him down to a knee. Ballard uses the momentum shift to swing Kunitz of his skates, and proceeds to hit while Kunitz is struggling back to his knees. The linesmen are a little late getting in at this point, and separate the two.
I'm thinking Kunitz on this one. He got the better blows in during the fight, and staggered Ballard, but Ballard used the opportunity to swing Kunitz off balance and hit him on the ice - which isn't cool at all.
This is Chris Kunitz's second fight as a Penguin, and his first during the regular season (the other coming in postseason against the Flyers - go figure). He's not a regular fighter, but he definitely can hold his own when he goes. You may remember Keith Ballard as the guy Sidney Crosby attacked last season.
Next up is Ottawa, who have had six fights in three games, half of which from Matt Carkner.