Artemi Panarin Very Stupidly Got In A Fight With Charlie McAvoy

Of course, this is an incredibly dumb thing for Artemi Panarin to do as his all-in team tries to claw its way into the playoffs. If someone on the Blue Jackets is going to fight Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, it better be someone disposable, just in case it goes horribly wrong a la Matt Dumba.

But on the other hand—holy shit, we got a star dropping the gloves!

In the second period of what’s been a wild game between the Bruins and Blue Jackets, Columbus’s top point-getter decided to stick up for himself after McAvoy hit him hard in the open ice. The result was Panarin mostly flailing as he ate some fists, but the refs got in there before anyone fell to the ice. Panarin went to the box looking reasonably unharmed, so Columbus fans could breathe a sigh of relief and go back to scoreboard-watching the Canadiens with relatively mild levels of anxiety.

This was the second fight Panarin’s ever been in, after one with Scottie Upshall in 2016. Next time, just make Brandon Dubinsky do it.