Pavel Buchnevich is far more renowned for what he does with a hockey stick in his hands than without it. But the former New York Rangers forward proved he can cause some damage with his fists, too.
Skating for the St. Louis Blues in their home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, Buchnevich dropped the gloves with Pontus Holmberg at 8:50 of the third period, with the Blues leading 2-1 and on the power play.
After teammate Jake Neighbours took a slashing penalty — following a massive check thrown by the Maple Leafs — players from both sides converged in a scrum inside Toronto’s zone. Buchnevich, was along the wall when all of a sudden he sprinted into the fray.
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Buchnevich threw a headlock on Holmberg, yanked him out of the pile and wrestled him to the ice. Holmberg got up ready to fight, but Buchnevich beat him to the punch — literally and figuratively. The 29-year-old threw six consecutive punches, landing at least one big right to the face and another to to the back of the head that drove the Maple Leafs forward back down to the ice.
If not a knockout, it was at least a clear TKO for Buchnevich.
Now, this wasn’t exactly Ryan Reaves whom Buchnevich was fighting. But it was an impressive performance nonetheless.
Buchnevich added an exclamation point to his night when he hammered a shot into the empty net to seal a 4-2 victory, in what was former coach Craig Berube’s return to St. Louis as Maple Leafs coach.
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Pavel Buchnevich had five fights with Rangers
According to HockeyFights.com, this was Buchnevich’s first fight since Feb. 12, 2021 when he was with the Rangers. He fought Jeremy Lauzon, then of the Boston Bruins. So, this was Buchenvich’s first fight as a member of the Blues, whom he joined in a trade ahead of the 2021-22 season.
By the count of HockeyFights.com, Buchnevich has now had six fights in the NHL, including two in the 2017-18 season. Most memorable was his March 30, 2018, fight with Steven Stamkos, then captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, at Madison Square Garden.
A year later, Buchnevich squared off with Lightning forward Brayden Point at the Garden.
More lover than fighter, Buchnevich has 408 points (166 goals, 242 assists) in 529 NHL games after being selected in the third round (No. 75 overall) of the 2013 draft. His goal Saturday gives him four this season, along with three assists.
He’s a five-time 20-goal scorer, who scored 30 with the Blues in 2021-22.
Buchnevich had only one minor penalty this season before adding five more minutes to his total Saturday.
