Detroit Red Wings top defenseman Moritz Seider isn't known as a fighter, as he had dropped the gloves only one time in his NHL career entering Saturday evening's tilt against the Boston Bruins.
But in the waning seconds of the opening 20 minutes of play, Seider got into a scrum with Boston's Mark Kastelic that eventually turned into a full-fledged bout.
Both players traded multiple punches, and it was Kastelic who ultimately got the takedown with a vicious right hook.
Mark Kastelic vs. Moritz Seider 👀 pic.twitter.com/j5JDJnAcR1
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Seider and the Red Wings would ultimately fall by a 3-2 final score in the shootout to the Bruins, whom they will face once again on Tuesday evening at Little Caesars Arena.
Afterward, Seider said part of the reason why he felt the need to drop the gloves was as a response to the physicality showed by the Bruins and to answer when the club gets, as he put it, "pushed around".
“A very tough guy, but I think we just needed a little bit of a spark," he said of his fight with Kastelic. "I think we sometimes get pushed around a little bit, and sometimes we just need to answer. It doesn’t matter the outcome, just got to show face and be ready for it.”
There were some tense moments for Red Wings fans at the beginning of the second period, as Seider wasn't on the bench. However, Seider would eventually return to the contest and ultimately finished with a team-high 28:18 of ice time.
Dylan Larkin, who extended his point streak with an assist on Lucas Raymond's third period tally, gave Seider props for taking on Kastelic.
"That’s important that we stuck together," he said. "Great for Mo to stick up for himself. That’s a tough customer he took on. He did really well.”
“It was good for Mo," head coach Todd McLellan said. "Good for our team to stand our ground. He did a real good job.”
Like most NHL teams, the Red Wings no longer carry a traditional enforcer - a player who sees limited ice time, contributes little offensively, and is used primarily as an on-ice sheriff. The role of an enforcer has fallen by the wayside in NHL competition in recent years.
But there are multiple Red Wings who have more than one fighting major on their resume, including both Larkin and Alex DeBrincat along with J.T. Compher and Travis Hamonic.
Depth forward Austin Watson, who had one fighting major during his brief NHL stint with Detroit last season, amassed seven fighting majors with the Grand Rapids Griffins that same year and has added two more so far this season.
There could be more fireworks on Tuesday evening when the Red Wings and Bruins reconvene at Little Caesars Arena for the conclusion of their short home-and-home series.
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