Fans watching the Bruins vs Lightning Stadium Series game on Sunday witnessed a rare and dramatic moment when both goaltenders entered a clash.
Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman and Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskyi squared off in a brief fight midway through the second period, marking one of the most memorable moments of the matchup.
The incident occurred with 8:59 remaining in the second period after a save by Swayman led to a scrum in front of the Boston net.
Players from both teams gathered near the crease, and Swayman became involved in the pushing and shoving to his right.
Moments later, Swayman skated from his crease toward centre ice, where Vasilevskiy was.
The two goalies exchanged punches in a short fight before Vasilevskiy took Swayman down to the ice.
Officials quickly stepped in to separate the players.
Each goalie was given a five minute major penalty for fighting. The altercation marked the first fighting major of Swayman’s NHL career.
The moment quickly went viral among hockey fans, with many noting that Swayman had previously expressed interest in fighting at some point in his career.
Sunday’s game finally gave him that opportunity in one of the league’s biggest regular season stages.