標籤: battles

When the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Nicolas Deslauriers, everyone knew he was going to take a beating in his first few games. But, I don’t think many people expected him to fight before he even played his first match.

I highly doubt anyone doubted that the fight would be against a promoter with an equally renowned resume like Mathieu Ollivier. However, when Deslauriers skated past Ollivier during warmups and exchanged a few brief words, it appeared there might be a dust-up.

With the game almost halfway through, the Hurricanes were lifeless and needed a spark, and Deslauriers provided just that.

The clock stopped with 10:22 remaining in the second period as the gloves hit the cold, hard ice in the neutral zone. Deslauriers and Ollivier sized each other up, slowly approaching each other, before Deslauriers made the first swipe, followed by a punch.

From there, fists started flying – exchanging haymakers and yanking each other’s sweaters. Amid the melee, a punch from Hurricane’s enforcer left Olivier’s jaw bloodied, however, the bleeding appeared to be caused by Deslauriers’ broken knuckles.

For Deslauriers, it was the 137th fight of his career, and for Olivier, the 112th. Both held their positions well, and ultimately, neither won nor lost in terms of the war.

However, the spark it provided certainly gave the Hurricanes a momentary advantage, as Andrei Svechnikov scored Carolina’s first, and sadly only, goal of the game before Deslauriers stepped out of the penalty box.

Discussion about dust-up

At the second intermission, Svechnikov was tapped for an interview, where he took some time to share his reaction to Deslauriers’ contributions.

“It feels good, to be honest,” he said. “You know, we haven’t had that in a while, but it feels good. …Yeah, big respect to them.”

After the game, Deslauriers was asked about the fight.

“This is what I live for, you know,” Deslauriers told the media. “I wish I could have scored a goal, but for me these are the moments when, you know, I feel I did something good.

“When you’re in the box – I know sometimes I stay there for a long time – but when we score, and I’m there after my work, I’m as happy as if I’d scored a goal.”

WATCH: Nicolas Deslauriers takes the gloves with Columbus Blue Jackets enforcer Mathieu Ollivier in Hurricanes debut

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan couldn’t believe it when he recently learned he had passed NBA legend Tim Duncan on the all-time scoring list.

Just a few days later, he achieved another impressive feat.

DeRozan finished with a season-high 41 points, including a three-pointer, 11 assists and three steals, to lead the Kings to a 116-111 victory over the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center on Sunday. They improved to 18-51.

According to StatMuse, the 36-year-old guard is the oldest player in NBA history to reach that number in a game.

DeRozan has been a bright spot amid another disappointing campaign in Sacramento. He has been a consistent weapon since signing with the team on a three-year, $74 million contract through 2024.

He is averaging 18.8 points – his lowest since the 2012–2013 season – 3.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists this season. Although his numbers have dropped, he still remains a lethal threat on offense, especially during clutch situations.

The Kings have now won three consecutive games and are 4-1 in their last five meetings.

When DeRozan entered the league as the ninth overall pick out of USC in 2009, not many expected him to be among the top 20 scorers. But through his consistency, work ethic and desire, he has maintained his legacy.

If he improves his scoring in the final stages, he will average at least 20 points for the 13th consecutive year.

DeRozan also has a strong chance to surpass NBA icons Dominique Wilkins and Oscar Robertson for 16th place on the all-time scoring list by the end of the season.

The Kings host the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.