Arizona rookied Anthony Duclair who endured his fair share of hits from the Sabres throughout the game, got into a minor jousting match on a faceoff in the Buffalo zone with Sabres d-man Zach Bogosian. The two would have words before Duclair moved to the opposite side. Things would continue to fester as the 'Yotes applied heavy pressure in an effort to tie the score.
Coyotes' captain Shane Doan would also show some frustration in the corner as he laid his stick on a prone Ryan O'Reilly with about :30 seconds to go in the third period. O'Reilly was on the ice trying to eat the puck and Doan wasn't too fond of that maneuver. Ristolainen didn't appreciate what Doan was doing to his teammate and gave him a couple of whacks in the lower back. Bogosian got between the two and the play ended.
After the horn sounded, Doan wanted a piece of Ristolainen who was tangled up with Antoine Vermette. The 39 yr. old veteran of 20-plus NHL seasons got a facewash in on Ristolainen and like a polarized attraction to a magnetic core, both sides entered the fray. For some unknown reason, Duclair, the youngest player on the 'Yotes roster proceeded to antagonize Bogosian, something the Sabres d-man didn't take kindly to. With Bogosian smacking Duclair, and a mass of bodies in tight around them, Ristolainen peeled off Arizona's Oliver Ekman-Larsson and the two went to the corner.
Ristolainen, who's not known as a fighter, but has been playing with a serious edge lately, went at it with the 6'2" 200 lb. Ekman-Larsson and the two exchanged pleasantries, as well as a fist or two, before Doan, who had been watching the struggle in earnest jumped in as a third man on Ristolainen.
