Panthers Unleash Fists of Vengeance on Philly

David Booth notched one goal, three assists, and a heaping portion of revenge

Perhaps David Booth should get concussed more often.

In his first game against the Flyers since an ugly shot to the head from Mike Richards knocked Booth out of hockey for more than three months and caused him to miss the Olympics, the Panthers forward took his vengence, and he took it good. He stalked Richards down the ice, forced a fight, resuscitated the Panthers offense, and notched the first Gordie Howe Hat Trick of his career by adding a goal and three assists.

It was enough to earn the Panthers a 7-4 victory, breaking their seven-game losing streak over Philly's head like a beer bottle in backyard brawl -- which, in the best possible way, is exactly what the game was.

No matter than the Panthers already got revenge on Philly once while Booth looked on from a press box; it took all of Booth's presence and the puck drop for the Panthers to start scrapping.

Three seconds in, Gregory Campbell and the Flyers' Ian Laperriere were trading blows.

Two seconds after that, Nick Tarnasky and Aaron Asham went at it for the first of two fights in which Tarnasky went Broad Street Bully on Asham like no one's business.

And then the marquee fight, such as it was, was on less than three minutes later.

Booth chased Richards from one end of the ice to the other, bumping his shoulder and requesting some fisticuffs. Richards looked a bit hesitant, but then appeared to recognize the inevitability, and the two got to looking as hilarious as hockey players can when skating in fat shorts with fists balled like James "The Gentleman Masher" Corcoran.

"I don't really know what I'm doing when I fight," Booth said later. "But it was just a lot of…I don't know what's built up, but what could have been this year if you were playing, you think about that. But that's behind me now. I don't have to worry about that…and be free of this."

He might also want some tips from Tarnasky, bless his heart, but the point is Booth did what he needed to do and the whole affair propelled the Panthers to some pretty great hockey -- no small feat. With the victory, they narrowly avoided becoming the first team since the 1939-1940 Canadiens to fail to score more than two goals for 15 straight games. 

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