The third goal of the first period for the Jackets showed the impressive 200-foot game of Adam Fantilli. The sequence started in front of the Columbus goal when Fantilli went in to slap the puck out of the slot. A split second later, he knocked Ryan Leonard to the ice with a big hit. He then made his way down the ice and scored on a great pass from Kent Johnson with just 36 seconds remaining in the period.

It took a few minutes for Leonard to collect himself and make his way off the ice and down the tunnel. As he exited, Washington veteran Tom Wilson told the officials what he thought of the play and earned a 10-minute misconduct penalty. That exchange and the events on the ice set the stage for even more physical action in the second period.

Fantilli scored again just 2:01 into the second. Sean Monahan added a goal two and a half minutes, followed by a score just 37 seconds later from Cole Sillinger. Temperatures got even hotter following the three goals in the second frame that made it 6-0, Blue Jackets.

The physical play turned into fisticuffs when Sean Kuraly tangled with Leonard, then James van Riemsdyk went at it with Rasmus Sandin. Everyone in attendance waited to see if the teams’ two enforcers, Mathieu Olivier for Columbus and Wilson for Washington, would face off. There was discussion between the two but ultimately nothing more.