Frank Nazar laid a big check on Bo Horvat late tonight, and the Islanders made sure the Blackhawks heard about it.
It came with 1:32 left in the third and the Islanders already up 4-1, which explains why nobody on Long Island was in a forgiving mood.
The frame shows Anton Frondell, Tyler Bertuzzi and Patrick Kane gathered at the boards as Matthew Schaefer and a pile of Islanders tangle up in front of them.
An official stands off to the side with his arm straight up in the air. Gino Hard summed it up simply: the Islanders did not take kindly to it.
Finishing a check down three goals that late is a choice. Nazar had to know exactly what reaction was coming.
It's the hockey version of slamming the door on your way out after losing an argument. Everybody inside is going to remember it.
Nazar came into tonight with a goal, an assist and a -4 rating.
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Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks get pulled into a late scrum on Long Island
Horvat came in with 2 goals, both on the power play, and he carries an $8,500,000 cap hit.
It capped a wild night for Nazar, who earlier went barreling toward an open Blackhawks bench door.
Chicago actually held a 23-17 edge in shots at that point.
The Blackhawks came into the night at 1-3-0, having already allowed 17 goals through four games.
The Islanders came in at 1-2-0, with Ilya Sorokin sporting a .968 save percentage and a shutout.
Frondell, the 19-year-old who led Chicago with 4 points coming in, was right there along the boards when it boiled over.
Jeff Blashill can live with the edge from a 22-year-old on a $6,599,991 cap hit. The timing is another conversation.
Peter DeBoer's group made it clear they weren't letting it slide, and the clock on the scoreboard didn't matter one bit.
Chicago hosts Carolina on Saturday, while the Islanders welcome Tampa Bay the same night.
These two teams don't meet again until Feb. 23 in Chicago. Will anybody still be holding onto this one by then?
Was Frank Nazar wrong to finish that check on Bo Horvat in a 4-1 game?
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