Yahoo Sports Ryan Lomberg Addresses Fight With Devils' Nathan Bastian: 'I Don't Want To Hurt Anybody'
On Friday night, New Jersey Devils forward Nathan Bastian sustained a jaw injury in his team's 3-0 loss to the Calgary Flames.
View the original article to see embedded media.
He came to the defense of teammate Paul Cotter and dropped the gloves with Flames forward Ryan Lomberg in the first period of the game.
As Cotter entered the offensive zone, Flames' defenseman Brayden Pachal hit him along the boards. As the Devils forward fell to the ice, Lomberg hit him and landed on top of him. Bastian then challenged Lomberg.
After the game, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe was asked for an update on Bastain, who did not return to the game.
"Yeah, he's injured," he said.
Lomberg spoke about the incident post-game.
"I think he thought that the initial hit was dirty," Lomberg said. "You know, you got to respect a guy for standing up for his teammate. Obviously, pretty tough guy hanging in there, too. Credit to him."
According to HockeyFights, Bastian has been in 20 career fights since the 2017-18 season.
"I think guys know me to not to be a dirty guy," Lomberg continued. "I'm hard (and) I'm physical. I respect my opponents, and I don't want to hurt anybody. He just came over and thought he had to stand up for his teammate and obviously respect him for doing that."
The Devils did not practice on Saturday. Any updates regarding Bastian's status will need to wait for a day or two.
Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
EXCLUSIVE: Q&A With MSG Networks Host & Analyst Rachel Herzog
Hischier’s Manager Patrick Fischer: 'He’s Driven to Succeed, but Not Easily Satisfied'
Seamus Casey Scores First NHL Goal In Devils Global Series Finale
