After the Florida Panthers forward got into a scuffle with the Sabres defenceman Rasmus Dahlin, Marchand decided to make some “adjustments” to his opponent’s helmet.
Things initially got heated between the two when Dahlin checked Marchand from behind midway through the second period, much to the chagrin of the 37-year-old. The two made contact again moments later, which led to Dahlin falling onto the ice before Marchand pounced on the Swedish D-man to throw some punches.
Players from both sides quickly converged at the scene to create a pile of bodies on the ice, while other fights broke out away from the initial incident. Officials eventually got things under control, but not before some extra shenanigans from Marchand.
As he was being escorted to the penalty box (two minutes for interference and two for roughing), Marchand was seen holding onto a blue Sabres helmet. He’d keep hold of it all the way into the sin bin, where he ripped the straps off the helmet before chucking it back onto the ice. Dahlin, who was not penalized on the play, was seen shaking his head and making comments in the direction of Marchand following those antics, but nothing more came from the incident.
After the Sabres’ 3-0 win, Dahlin said he felt just fine about what transpired.
“Whoever gets the most angry is usually the one that gets the penalty,” Dahlin said, per Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. “You have to stay calm in those moments. Usually (Marchand is) really good at that, but I won a little battle today.”
It was the Sabres’ second win in a row after they started the season with three losses.
“(Marchand is) a competitor,” Dahlin said. “I’ve probably done something like that in the past, too, so stuff happens out there.”
