Late in the third period on Monday, after an ugly pile-up in a corner, Blue Jackets' right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand found himself in an awful, unusual spot.
Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller was holding Bjorkstrand up by the collar with his left hand and punching him repeatedly with his right, the very definition of a pummeling. Miller took exception to Bjorkstrand's hit seconds earlier on Boston's Torey Krug.
Bjorkstrand is no fighter, and he's not too proud to turtle. “I basically just protected myself,” he said. “I didn't want to get hurt, or get knocked out. It's obviously not my game.