Watch: J.T. Miller & Anthony Mantha exchange heavy hits in retaliation for Kevin Rooney hit
J.T. Miller and Anthony Mantha engaged in heavy hits as tensions escalated during Wednesday's matchup between the Vancouver Canucks and the Calgary Flames.
The altercation sparked in the first period after Miller delivered a big hit on the Flames' Kevin Rooney near the boards. Rooney required considerable assistance to leave the ice, leading to chaos.
Mantha, visibly outraged by J.T. Miller's actions, stepped in to defend his teammate in retaliation. The two players dropped their gloves and traded heavy blows.
Watch the video here:
However, Anthony Mantha eventually fell to the ice while throwing punches, prompting officials to intervene and separate the two players to restore order on the ice. Both Mantha and Miller were issued five-minute majors for fighting.
J.T. Miller and Canucks lose to Flames in overtime.
In a thrilling matchup on Wednesday, the Vancouver Canucks fell to the Calgary Flames in the first overtime of the season.
The Canucks started strong, with Daniel Sprong and Brock Boeser each netting powerplay goals, quickly establishing a 2-0 lead. Conor Garland then added to the momentum, extending the home team's lead to 3-0.
However, the Flames responded with Anthony Mantha scoring a short-handed goal at 15:49 before Boeser scored his second goal, assisted by J.T. Miller, bringing the score to 4-1 as the first period concluded.
The second period saw Rasmus Andersson score for the Flames, narrowing the deficit to 4-2. As the game progressed into the final period, the Flames turned the tide dramatically, scoring three unanswered goals to take a 5-4 lead for the first time.
With less than two minutes left in regulation, Miller tied the game for the Canucks, pushing the matchup into overtime, where Connor Zary scored at 1:33 to secure a remarkable comeback victory for the Flames.