Malkin seemingly challenges Hamonic and then refuses to drop the gloves.

I have to say I'm a little disappointed we didn't get what looked like a fight between two very skileld National Hockey League players who just so happened to be getting under each other's skin.

Things heated up between New York Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic and Pittsburgh Penguins star forward Evgeni Malkin early on in the very first period of the Tuesday night match up between their respective teams. After some back and forth behind the Islanders net, it looked like Malkin had enough and he began delivering hard shots to Hamonic, the kind that usually indicate a challenge for a fight.

However when Hamonic finally agreed to drop the gloves, Malkin immediately went to the deck, although whether he genuinely lost his balance or wanted no part of Hamonic is debatable. It's worth noting that at no point did Malkin drop his gloves, despite continuing to throw punches after the officials had already stepped in.

Hopefully we get to see this one down the road.

[pub]