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Vancouver Canucks forward Teddy Blueger and Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis squared off for the first all-Latvian fight in National Hockey League history on Thursday night — but there were no hard feelings afterwards.
The two could be seen sharing a handshake and a hug after the Canucks beat the Panthers 3-2 in overtime at Amerant Bank Arena, per Sportsnet's Dan Murphy.
Blueger and Balinskis threw hands during the game and then met for hugs after the game. #canucks pic.twitter.com/4gHceglAmA
— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) October 18, 2024
Neither Blueger nor Balinskis was part of a scrum that began right around the 10-minute mark of the second period. But things escalated as the two came to the defense of their respective teammates, and emotions boiled over shortly afterwards:
Teddy Blueger and Uvis Balinskis drop the gloves!! WHAT A RIVALRY! #Canucks #TimeToHunt
🎥: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/JJ4N9C8xBQ— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) October 18, 2024
It was certainly a short scrap for the unlikely contestants, who both sat in the box for five minutes to think about their actions afterwards. The Canucks were leading 2-1 at the time of the dust-up, although the Panthers would tie things up on an Anton Lundell powerplay goal near the end of the second frame.
After neither team managed a goal in the third period, it was JT Miller who got his first of the year to help Vancouver get its first victory of the 2024-25 campaign in the extra frame.
Canucks down Panthers on the road in overtime
Miller scored 2:09 into OT on Thursday, making a nice move around Lundell at the offensive blue line before skating to the right circle and letting a rising wrist shot go that beat Sergei Bobrovsky to the far side.
“The longer you go without a win, the more pressure you put on yourself,” Miller said afterwards, per NHL.com's George Richards. “It is nice that we can hopefully take a deep breath and keep going.”
“It’s a good feeling to win,” Blueger echoed after his eventful evening. “It was a tight game. They’re obviously a good team even though they are missing some key guys. … This is good for our team, good for our character and morale, finding a way to get it done.”
Blueger also helped out on the score sheet, potting the first goal of the game midway through the first period. Jesper Boqvist would tie things up before Canucks captain Quinn Hughes made it 2-1 6:30 into the second period.
“We have some work to do, but there was some good stuff in there,” said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet. “There were times where we had some possession time, had some chances. Hey, that’s a championship team and they are missing some key guys. It was a hard-fought win. Winning in overtime is nice because that’s our third overtime.”
Now 1-1-2 on the season, the Canucks will continue their road trip against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the 3-2-1 Panthers will welcome the Vegas Golden Knights to Amerant Bank Arena for a rematch of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.
