Spittin' Chiclets just posted that Alex DeBrincat and Sam Bennett dropped the gloves tonight as the Red Wings lost 5-4 to the Panthers.
It's a fight almost nobody had on their bingo card. DeBrincat is one of the most dangerous scorers in the Atlantic Division, and Bennett is one of the league's most abrasive forwards.
Spittin' Chiclets tagged the two as The Cat and Bennett the Menace and called it a scrappy fight.
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The size gap is the first thing that jumps out. The sheet lists DeBrincat at 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, while Bennett is 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds.
The history makes it stranger. Over his NHL career, DeBrincat has 204 penalty minutes in 715 games, while Bennett has 769 in 786.
This season, Bennett has 17 penalty minutes and DeBrincat has 10. Neither one is a fighter by trade, and Bennett is the one with the reputation.
Fans will remember it for the gloves coming off, but the context matters for Detroit. The Red Wings lost their fifth straight on this night, and they're 3-7-0 over their last 10.
Does DeBrincat's fight show a Red Wings team running out of patience?
It shows a frustrated team, and that's a fair read of the standings. Detroit sits at 7-10-3 with a goal differential of -9, and it just gave up five goals in Florida.
DeBrincat has 16 points in 19 games and a +8 rating, a number that stands out on a team in this much trouble. When your best scorer is the one throwing punches, the locker room is looking for a spark anywhere it can find one.
We think that's the right instinct, even if it's an odd one. A top-line winger in a fight won't win games on its own, but Detroit's problem lately has been a lack of edge as much as a lack of goals.
A fight doesn't fix defensive breakdowns, though. Detroit's real work starts Saturday at Tampa Bay, with the losing streak still attached.
Florida, which has won two straight, heads to St. Louis on the same day.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
What should the Red Wings take from DeBrincat dropping the gloves with Bennett?
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