In a game that ends up with an 8-2 score, one might assume that fighting would not really be on the Penguins' mind against the Senators. One would be wrong. Both occurring within a minute of one another in the 3rd period (with the Penguins up 6-2), two fights broke out - the first between noted glove dropper Mike Rupp and Chris Neil, and the other between Craig Adams and Matt Carkner.
First - Rupp v Neil.
When hearing the banging sound during the fight, I at first thought that Rupp had finally managed to create sonic booms with his fists (a la Street Fighter's Guile), but such was not the case. As the two locked up, Rupp connected with several shots while Neil mostly missed, until the spinning slipped up Rupp and sent him to the ice. The linesmen broke the two up just as Neil got going. It's a win for Rupp in the fight, but Neil succeeded, as the commentators point out, in giving goalie Brian Elliot a chance to warm up. So good for him.
And then there was Adams v Carkner.
While Rupp pulled the win over Neil, Craig Adams did not fare so well against Matt Carkner.
I'm going to throw out a plea here. Please, Craig Adams, please stop fighting. It really doesn't seem to be right for you. In this one, Adams was done before he even got both gloves off. Taking some mean shots from Carkner, Adams managed to fling his glove off (I assumed it was his head on first viewing) just in time to take a mean uppercut to the face, sending him down. As Adams got back up and the linesmen came in, Carkner reached under their arm and connected with another shot to the face, which was really uncool. You had the guy beaten, man. There's no need for that. Adams skated to the box bloodied from the ordeal and another loss was added to his column. (I do have to say, though, that I can't completely dislike a guy who can beat on Steve Downie the way Carkner can).
With these fights, Rupp moves ahead of the pack in fights with seven, while Adams moves into second with five, tied with Eric Godard. But Godard will surely pick up another when the Penguins host the Maple Leafs and our old buddy Colton Orr comes to town.