Just about everything has been a struggle for the Buffalo Sabres this season.
Rasmus Ristolainen’s first NHL goal ends with a fight
Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen scoring his first NHL goal sparked a fight between Cody McCormick and Eric Gudbranson
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Spor
Scoring goals. Winning games. Avoiding lengthy suspensions. None of it has been easy. We can also add “retrieving the puck for a rookie that just scored his first NHL goal” to the list.
In the second period of Friday's game in Florida, defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen scored his first career goal by beating Jacob Markstrom with a shot from the point that found its way through a crowd.
As Ristolainen's teammate, Cody McCormick, was trying to get the puck out of the net for the rookie, Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson seemed to take exception to that and decided it was time for a fight.
That was Gudbranson's second fight of the net. He also dropped the gloves with Sabres captain Steve Ott as the first period came to a close.
Ristolainen was Buffalo’s first-round draft pick, No. 8 overall, in 2013.
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