It seems Jordan Eberle was still paying some retribution for a hit in the playoffs last season when the Kraken lost 4-1 to the Avalanche on Tuesday night.
The former Islanders forward dropped the gloves with Colorado’s Logan O’Connor a little over a minute into the contest as the two traded heavy punches.
The bout was over as quickly as it had started as the linesman jumped into the fray after O’Connor tugged Eberle’s jersey over his head.
The fight appeared to be connected to a hit that Eberle had laid on Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano last year during Game 6 of last year’s first-round playoff series.
“We obviously go back to the series last year. It was a tough series, tough situation,” Eberle said. “I was just trying to get my teammates going.”
Eberle caught Cogliano in a vulnerable position with a hit and drove him head-first into the boards during Game 6.
Cogliano suffered a fractured neck from the hit and missed the final game of the series when the Kraken upended the 2022 Stanley Cup champions.
Eberle didn’t face any supplemental punishment from the play.
“There’s definitely a lot of animosity, I think,” O’Connor said. “We feel as though we didn’t give our best effort in that series last year. They played us hard. You have got to give them credit.”
Tuesday’s fight was just the third of Eberle’s career, according to Hockey Fights.com.
Before the scrap with O’Connor 1:20 into the game, Eberle’s last fight came back on March 3, 2019, when he was still with the Isles and he squared off with the Flyers’ Travis Konecny.
O’Connor has six NHL fights to his name.
To top things off, O’Connor scored his first goal of the year in the game as well.
The Avalanche right winger scored a shorthanded breakaway goal to give Colorado a 2-1 lead in the second period.
Eberle has one point this season, which came on an assist in the season opener against the Golden Knights.
— with AP
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