Martin Necas got away with throwing a punch at the New York Islanders late in his Carolina Hurricanes’ 5-1 loss during Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Friday night.
Necas had been checked into the Islanders’ bench on a hard hit by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and was seemingly frustrated. He responded by throwing a punch at Brock Nelson, who was one of the Islanders players on the bench.
Necas was lucky to avoid a penalty on the play.
The Islanders scored four goals in the third period to win the game in blowout fashion and take a 2-1 series lead. The four goals by Kyle Palmieri, Matt Martin, Scott Mayfield and Anders Lee in two minutes and 18 seconds set a record for fastest four-goal scoring frenzy in a Stanley Cup playoff game. The previous record was held by the 1934-44 Montreal Canadiens, who did it in 2:35.
There was obviously no love lost between the two teams, as they also threw down at the end of the game, which could portend a physical Game 4.
The Islanders will once again host the Hurricanes for what will surely be a contentious Game 4 on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
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