Things got a little heated in the second period of Toronto's 5-0 win over Los Angeles last night. Early in the second period, Zach Ashton-Reese hit Arthur Kaliyev at center ice. Kaliyev didn't see Ashton-Reese coming towards him, lost possession of the puck, and was knocked down to the ice. Immediately you could see the Kings take exception to Ashton-Reese's hit.
As you would expect, Sean Durzi hit Ashton Reese in the Toronto zone. After that, Blake Lizotte also took an opportunity to hit Ashton Reese in the corner. Despite all of this, Ashton Reese was able to maintain possession of the puck. As the puck exited the Toronto zone, Blake Lizotte fought Ashton-Reese right at center ice.
It wasn't much of a fight and it didn't last very long as both players were quickly taken to the penalty box. You have to admire Blake Lizotte's courage for standing up for his teammate. Lizotte is much smaller than Ashton- Reese at five foot nine inches. That is what good teammates do, they stand up for one another. Ashton-Reese knew his physical play would gain attention and it did. This is one of the reasons Ashton- Reese is a regular in the Toronto lineup.
