You certainly can’t do that, Max Jones.
Boston’s left winger was engaged in a post-whistle scuffle when he accidentally cracked down on the arm of referee Devin Burg while attempting to chop at the stick of Florida’s Evan Rodrigues during the Bruins’ 6-4 loss to the Panthers in Tuesday’s season opener.
The official had come skating in between the two players seeking to curtail the extracurriculars. That — at least — appeared to be the plan.
Based on the look on Jones’ face, striking Burg was very clearly not his intention.
The Bruin immediately went over to check on the referee before being sent to the penalty box to serve two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The incident occurred late in the second period of the contest.
Jones, who spent the first six years of his NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks, was making his debut in gold and black.
Tuesday night’s game was chippy from the get-go, with the Bruins-Panthers rivalry having grown into one of the league’s fiercest in recent years.
The teams met last season in the second round of the playoffs when Florida bounced Boston in six games en route to their first-ever Stanley Cup.
The Panthers also shocked the top-seeded Bruins in the 2023 playoffs.
The bad blood spilled over elsewhere Tuesday.
After watching the Panthers raise their first championship banner to the rafters, former Bruin A.J. Greer dropped the gloves for a dance with Bruins newcomer Mark Kastelic.
Late in the third, Panthers center Sam Bennett trucked Bruins net-minder Joonas Korpisalo after tallying his second goal—and Florida’s sixth—of the evening.
The Jones-Rodrigues-turned-Jones-Burg altercation sandwiched these two melees.
Striking an official normally carries a severe penalty or suspension, though it’s unclear if Jones will receive further discipline from the NHL given the slash seemingly was inadvertent.
The rule book states: “Any player who deliberately applies physical force in any manner against an official, in any manner attempts to injure an official, physically demeans, or deliberately applies physical force to an official solely for the purpose of getting free of such an official during or immediately following an altercation shall receive a game misconduct penalty.”
