NHL: Winnipeg Jets at Pittsburgh Penguins - Source: Imagn — Sidney Crosby's fight with Kyle Connor - Image Source: Imagn

Michael Bunting makes his feelings known about Sidney Crosby's fight with Kyle Connor

Modified Nov 23, 2024 05:17 GMT

The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered a disappointing 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at PPG Paints Arena on Friday night. In the third period, with the Penguins down 3-0, team captain Sidney Crosby made the rare move of dropping his gloves and getting into a fight with Jets forward Kyle Connor.

The two exchanged punches before the linesmen intervened to stop the fight. While it's uncommon to see Crosby get into fisticuffs, the fight appeared to light a fire under the Penguins' bench.

After the fight, Michael Bunting scored the lone goal for Pittsburgh.

"I think he definitely motivated the whole bench," Bunting said after the game (per NHL.com).

"I think that was the best period of the night ... that third. We played with energy. We played fast and straightforward. So, you never want to see Sid fight, obviously, but he definitely brought the energy for us, and that's the leader he is."

The Jets got goals from Vladislav Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter, Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor in the win. Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves, while Tristan Jarry saved 26 shots.

Sidney Crosby's teammates react to his fight with Kyle Connor

Sidney Crosby's rare fight with Kyle Connor during the Penguins' 4-1 loss to the Jets caught most people off guard, including his teammates. But Crosby's actions spoke volumes, and his teammates appreciated the team captain trying to ignite a spark.

"I think it's just a wake-up call.It's a wakeup call to all of us,” goaltender Tristan Jarry said (per TribLive). “I think that losing games like this is tough for everyone. I think that we have to play harder. Him doing that is just raw emotion. I think he wants better and I think it comes from everyone."

Defenseman Owen Pickering echoed Jarry's thoughts.

“To have him step up and try to get us going was commendable. It was pretty cool to see.” Pickering said (per TribLive).

Matt Grzelcyk, another defenseman, also commented on Sidney Crosby's fight, saying,

"Whenever you see someone like (Crosby) step in there, it obviously gets the attention of everyone. I thought he kind of dragged us into the fight there,we probably shouldn’t put him in position to have to do that.

The Penguins now have a 7-11-4 record on the season. They will look to bounce back on Saturday against the Utah Hockey Club.