Horvat leaves Acciari a bloody mess after one-sided fight.

You normally don't want one of your better offensive players dropping the gloves during a National Hockey League game, but when he handles himself like this it is a little difficult to be too angry with him.

On Saturday night the Vancouver Canucks were taking on the Boston Bruins in an important battle as far as the standings were concerned. The game provided each team with the chance to secure their position as one of the top two teams in their respective divisions should they emerge victorious and that was manifested in the intensity that was displayed on the ice between both sides. 

Although the game was relatively uneventful on the scoreboard, each team only managed a single goal during regulation time, there was plenty of back and forth on the ice between the players. That back and forth culminated in the second period when a fight broke out between players you normally wouldn't expect to see dropping the gloves, especially not in such a closely contested game. 

Roughly midway through the game's second period, with the Vancouver Canucks up by a goal, Canucks forward Bo Horvat ran over 26 year old Bruins forward Joakim Nordstrom with a huge hit in the Boston zone. Nordstrom got caught staring up at the sky after a puck when floating into the air and Horvat saw his chance to deliver a big hit on an unsuspecting opponent. Nordstrom seemed to shake it off almost immediately but Bruins center Noel Acciari was not so ready to let it go.

Acciari immediately got up and into the face of Horvat and shoved the Canucks' forward all the while getting his hands up in his face, something that Horvat was not prepared to just let go. The 23 year old forward, known for his goal scoring touch and not for his fighting prowess, reacted quickly and dropped his gloves to the ice and was quickly followed by Acciari. Unfortunately for Acciari however it was a decision that he would quickly regret. 

I think it is safe to say that Horvant completely dominated the Bruins forward from the moment the proverbial bell rang until the moment the fight was over. Horvat cracked Acciari right on the jaw with his very first punch of the fight, a stiff right cross, and you could tell right away that Acciari was in trouble. The Bruins forward may not have been rocked by the punch but at the very least his equilibrium was out of whack and he began to stumble around as Horvat dragged him around by his jersey, and that was when things got really bad. 

With Acciari hunched over Horvat began to pepper the Bruins forward with a series of nasty looking uppercuts, although admittedly it was difficult to tell how flush the shots from Horvat where landing due to the camera angles during the broadcast. That being said though they definitely did some damage as Acciari was seen sporting a nasty looking, and bloody, gash on his cheek after the two men were finally separated. 

No question who wins this bout. 

[pub]