Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Liam O'Brien and Patrick Maroon had a contender for the best hockey fight of the preseason during the Washington Capitals' 4-0 win against the St. Louis Blues.
Maroon and O'Brien dropped gloves in the second period on Tuesday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. HockeyFights.com said the result of the skirmish was a draw.
Maroon and the Blues were on the attack with under seven minutes remaining in the period when O'Brien came in and side-checked Maroon just after he got a shot off. The two players found their way in front of the net and got into a shoving match. The duo continued a not-so-friendly chat as another fight broke out along the boards.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound O'Brien and 6-foot-3, 225-pound Maroon then skated out toward center ice, where they dropped their gloves and tossed their sticks. Maroon reached out first with a haymaker but was grabbed by O'Brien. The veterans then exchanged punches to each other's helmets until making some real contact. O'Brien eventually pushed Maroon into the boards near the Capitals' bench, before the players were separated and sent to the penalty box.
🤜🤛#ALLCAPS #CapsBlues pic.twitter.com/fOuyyI9EQu
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 26, 2018
Both players were given five minute majors for their role in the exchange. Maroon totaled seven penalty minutes in the loss.
Shane Gersich, Nathan Walker, Madison Bowey and Chandler Stephenson each scored for the Capitals. Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov each had assists in the win.
"I just felt like he got his elbows up on Petro and I didn't like that," Maroon told reporters. "He kinda jarred back at the bench. Just trying to be a teammate. That's all I'm trying to do. It's nothing new with me. I'm sure you guys will see a lot of it; That's how I play. It's kinda my game, my style. I'm not afraid to do that stuff. He's a tough customer."
The Capitals and Blues face-off again in the preseason at 3 p.m. on Sunday in Washington, D.C.
