Lawson Crouse dropped the mitts on Simon Benoit on Sunday after the Flyers defenseman hit Mammoth center Logan Cooley.
The fight came in a game Philadelphia won 6-3 over Utah, a result that is already final tonight.
According to Gino Hard, Benoit laid a solid hit on Cooley, and Crouse answered by making Benoit drop the gloves. That is a standard response from a 6'4, 215-pound winger when his team's best young player gets lined up.
Cooley is no ordinary target. He is 22, he was the third overall pick in 2022, and he came into the night with 17 points through 15 games, including 8 goals.
Crouse has made his living on the other side of that equation. He has 426 penalty minutes over 681 NHL games, and this season he has 17 PIM to go with a +4 rating.
Benoit is a different kind of player. The 6'4, 210-pound defenseman has no points through 11 games this season, but he has 18 PIM and a -5 rating, so he is clearly playing a physical role for the Flyers.
Over his NHL career, Benoit has 258 penalty minutes in 363 games. He is not hunting offense, he is hunting bodies, and Cooley was the biggest one on the ice.
Flyers hit back at the right time in the standings
The result matters more to Philadelphia than the fight itself. The Flyers entered the night at 4-8-4 and had managed only 1-5-1 on the road, so a physical home win over a playoff-caliber opponent is worth noting.
Rick Tocchet's team has now won its last game and sits at 4-4-2 over its last 10. Goals have been a problem, with 35 scored and 54 allowed, a differential of -19.
Utah is in a better place overall at 9-6-0, but the loss ends a stretch where the Mammoth had been 6-4-0 over their last 10. Andre Tourigny's group had a +2 goal differential before this one.
Gino Hard noted that Benoit's hit on Cooley led Crouse to challenge him, and the post carries the moment.
-
What happens next is the real question for the Mammoth, who play at Toronto on Tuesday, Nov. 3, while the Flyers host Minnesota the same night. Neither team gets much time to let this one settle.
Was Lawson Crouse right to drop the gloves with Simon Benoit over a clean hit on Logan Cooley?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Bob Stauffer says Oilers will trade for a forward with size
