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Watch: Pavel Buchnevich unloads mammoth right hand onto Pontus Holmberg after Leafs-Blues line scrum
St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich gave the Toronto Maple Leafs' Pontus Holmberg an old-school beatdown during the third period of the Leafs-Blues tilt on Saturday night.
The altercation took place during the third period, with the Blues on the power play. After a stoppage of play, both teams got into a scrum.
Following some heated pushing and shoving, Pavel Buchnevich and Pontus Holmberg dropped the gloves. Unfortunately for the Swedish forward, he didn’t stand a chance.
Check out the incident right here:
Buchnevich unloaded a series of right-hand blows on Holmberg, knocking him to the ice. Holmberg was unable to respond as he fell to the ice. The officials moved in to separate the two combatants at that point.
The fisticuffs marked the second time Holmberg dropped the gloves this season. As for Pavel Buchnevich, it was the first time he dropped the gloves since the 2020-21 season, fighting Jeremy Lauzon during a Boston Bruins-New York Rangers game on February 2, 2021. Ultimately, Buchnevich did well for himself considering his relative lack of fighting experience.
Pavel Buchnevich gets last laugh on Maple Leafs
The Blues took Saturday night’s tilt 4-2 in a game that featured former Blues coach Craig Berube’s return to St. Louis.
Pavel Buchnevich got an empty-net goal to seal the win for the Blues at 19:21 of the third period. The goal capped off an eventful final frame for Buchnevich as the fight and the goal highlighted his key role in the Blues’ win.
Following the game, Blues coach Drew Bannister lauded his team’s resilience. In particular, Bannister pointed out how players stuck up for one another while not backing down from challenges.
“I loved… how we played as a team, guys sticking up for each other, other guys doing things to get engaged in the game," Bannister said. "You know, Schenner doing what he did; Buch doing what he did, like, we didn’t back down.”
Banniester’s comments highlighted the Blues’ resilient nature. Despite the Leafs' overall strong play, the Blues capitalized on their opportunities. Those opportunities involved pushing back when the Leafs attempted to get back into the game.
Ultimately, Buchnevich’s willingness to drop the gloves was evidence of just how committed the Blues are to battle in order to win games.
Buchnevich did his part on Saturday night to get St. Louis a crucial win. The Blues will look to carry that momentum into their next game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.
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