It didn’t take long Thursday night for any bad blood in the Penguins/Capitals rivalry to bubble to the surface.
After Penguins’ winger Tom Kuhnhackl ran into Capitals’ goalie Braden Holtby behind the net, just about everyone on the ice grabbed the nearest person in an opposing jersey.
Really, it shouldn’t have been a surprise, even in the first game of a new season. Given how often these two teams have faced off in the past — and will again this season — a tough, physical game was likely always in the cards for Thursday’s season opener, which ended with a 3-2 Penguins shootout win.