Mathieu Olivier and Scott Sabourin just dropped the gloves, and the Spittin' Chiclets crew is calling it a massive fight.
The Blue Jackets and Lightning are playing tonight in Columbus, and the game sits in the second intermission as we write this. Olivier wears #24 for the home side, Sabourin wears #49 for Tampa Bay.
The Spittin' Chiclets crew posted that Olivier and Sabourin delivered a massive fight, and the fans who watched it live will tell you the billing was accurate.
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On paper, this is the matchup an enforcer fan circles. Olivier is 29, listed at 6'1 and 230 pounds. Sabourin is 34, listed at 6'3 and 205 pounds, so he has the reach and gives up 25 pounds.
Neither man is in the lineup to score. Olivier has 3 goals and 3 assists in 16 games this season, and his 27 penalty minutes are the more telling number. Sabourin has 12 penalty minutes in just 5 games.
Over their careers, the gap in volume is clear. Olivier has 506 penalty minutes in 327 NHL games. Sabourin has 159 in 78.
Why a fight like this still matters in the standings race
Fights between heavyweights don't show up on the scoresheet the way a power-play goal does, but they change the mood on a bench. The Blue Jackets are 7-9-0, have lost two straight and are 1-5-0 on the road for a reason. They needed something to wake the building.
Tampa Bay is the other story. The Lightning are 12-4-2, unbeaten at home at 8-0-0, and they beat Buffalo 8-3 on Wednesday night. Sabourin scored in that game in 7:18 of ice time, so he's coming off a goal and a fight in two nights.
That's a fourth-line player who is playing his role loudly. A big bout in a road game lets a visiting team answer the crowd, and a home team finally feel something. Whichever side got the better of it, the benches got their moment.
Our take: this is exactly the type of fight the league's old-school fans miss. Two willing, big guys, no staged nonsense. Whether it changes the result remains to be seen, since the game is not over.
Both teams are back on the ice Saturday. Columbus hosts Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay hosts Detroit.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
Who got the better of the Olivier vs Sabourin fight?
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