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Watch: Bruins Forward Slashes Official

One of the newest faces on the Boston Bruins accidentally took some anger out on an NHL official.

Nick Horwat

Mar 24, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks left wing Max Jones (49) skates with the puck during the second period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
Mar 24, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks left wing Max Jones (49) skates with the puck during the second period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
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Things got chippy between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers in their first game of the 2024-25 season. Some scrums and scuffles were expected between the rivals, but one Bruins forward committed a brutal penalty thanks to an unfortunate situation.

Late in the second period, Bruins forward Max Jones was jawing at Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues when Jones went to slash Rodrigues after a play. As Jones is swinging his stick toward Rodrigues, official Devin Burg swooped in to separate the players.

Jones’ stick struck Burg on the left arm and didn’t make any contact with Rodrigues. Surely, Jones didn’t mean to hit an official with his stick, but he was still assessed a two-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Had Jones stuck Rodrigues, odds are he would have been slapped with a slashing penalty, anyway.

The Panthers didn’t score on the ensuing power play and actually went 0-6 on the man advantage in their 6-4 win.

These two teams met each other in the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs and it was obvious there are still some leftover emotions. The Bruins and Panthers combined for 34 penalty minutes in the season opener.

Normally, making such contact with an official would be grounds for severe penalty and suspension, but since it was an inadvertent striking, Jones likely won’t see any further repercussions.

Jones is a veteran of 258 games at the NHL level, but all with the Anaheim Ducks. The first game of the 2024-25 season was his debut with the Bruins who acquired him via free agency over the offseason. In 258 career games, Jones has recorded 31 goals and 31 assists for 62 total points. He did not record a point in his Bruins debut.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

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