There are certain teams that I expect the Pens to end up fighting when met. The Flyers come to mind right off the bat. The Rangers are not surprising, nor are the Capitals. The Islanders? Not so much. Especially not two in one game. Well, that's what I get for assuming - game 2 of the season saw two of the Penguins newest faces end up getting fighting majors. We'll start with the first.
The fight broke out at 9:32 of the first period. Michael Rupp started throwing blows against Tim Jackman of the Islanders. Both threw several right hands, with Jackman knocking off Rupp's helmet before they went into a tender embrace. Jackman threw a couple more punches before Rupp reached in and pulled off Jackman's helmet. A couple more blows from either side, and the linesmen finally came in and pulled the two huggers apart.
Based on the early blows, I'd have to give this one to Jackman. He landed more blows and knocked off Rupp's helmet. Still no takedown, but based on several comments I got last season, that may not be a bad thing.
I suppose it should be noted that Michael Rupp fought 16 times last season for the Devils. His first fight of the season was a loss against our very own Eric Godard. How about that? Jackman had 19 fights in the NHL, though none of which were against the Penguins.
We'll take a look at Jay McKee's first Penguins fight against Brendan Witt later in the day. Stay tuned for it.