Arber Xhekaj drops Sam Carrick with a huge punch at the end of Game 3.

The rising tensions between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens officially reached a boiling point on Sunday night and as a result we saw several clashes between the two teams throughout the game.

The one that may get the most attention however is an incident that occured at the final buzzer, with Canadiens enforcer Arber Xhekaj potentially landing himself in some hot water with the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety.

The Canadiens had a commanding 6-2 lead late in the third period and, with the game out of reach, the Sabres and Canadiens broke out into a scrum in the dying seconds of Game 3. That scrum was typical of the ones we had seen throughout the game, but it was during this final scrum that Xhekaj would take some liberties with Sabres veteran forward Sam Carrick.

Instead of pushing and shoving as is typical of a scrum, Xhekaj would pummel Carrick with a 1-2 combination. Xhekaj would open up with a jab, stuffing his left hand in Carrick's face, before dropping him with a huge right hand that sent Carrick down to the ice. Carrick would remain there, although whether he was hurt or merely trying to protect himself wasn't immediately clear.

Whether or not NHL Player Safety will deem this worthy of a fine or a suspension remains to be seen.