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Brayden McNabb fights Ducks after hit on Getzlaf (Video)

Anaheim Ducks' Nate Thompson, left, fights with Los Angeles Kings' Brayden McNabb during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Anaheim Ducks’ Nate Thompson, left, fights with Los Angeles Kings’ Brayden McNabb during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo)

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Brayden McNabb did his best to get under the Anaheim Ducks’ skin in their Saturday game at Staples Center.

First, McNabb crunched Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf against the boards in the second period, which seemed to hurt the Anaheim captain. Getzlaf hobbled to the bench in pain, and seemed to stretch out his leg. He eventually stayed in the game, but teammate Nick Ritchie went after McNabb for the hit, which led to a cross-checking penalty on Ritchie.

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Then after a few other big hits by the Kings in the game – Anze Kopitar on Sami Vatanen and Dustin Brown on Jakob Slifverberg were the most jarring in the second period – the Ducks stepped up and fought back against McNabb. Forward Nate Thompson went toe-to-toe with the physical defenseman and landed a few big punches. He also just missed a knockout punch on an uppercut to McNabb’s chin.

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The Ducks and Kings are one of the best rivalries in the Western Conference and Saturday has certainly lived up to expectations that the play would be tough and physical.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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