Things only got nastier in the second period. The referees failed to get the game under control and scrums began to break out after nearly every whistle. On one such occasion,
Tyler Bertuzzi, already bloodied by a high stick, got into a disagreement with Bruins defenseman
Parker Wotherspoon. Bertuzzi dropped his gloves while issuing an invitation for Wotherspoon to do the same. After some deliberation, Wotherspoon decided to drop his as well. As it turned out, that was a mistake.