Matt Carkner’s Busy Week

New York Islanders heavyweight Matt Carkner found himself involved in several dust-ups last week. With his team far out of playoff contention, 14th place in the East, Carkner has reinforced that pride is something still worth playing for.

On April 1st against the Florida Panthers, Carkner dropped the gloves twice. His first major came against Erik Gudbranson, who rushed to the defense of teammate Scottie Upshall, the recipient of a hard hit from Carkner. It wasn't much of a match — Gudbranson is equal in size, but not experience — and Carkner handled him fairly easily.

Later in the game, Panthers heavyweight Krys Barch must have felt Carkner was not satisfactorily dealt with, and issued a challenge of his own. The puck was played back to Carkner, so Carkner had to sweep it away with Barch bearing down on him. Barch got the jump and Carkner fell, but Barch allowed him to find his footing. They exchanged short, hard punches in a long scrap.