The Eastern Conference series between the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers may get a lot nastier after Tom Kostopoulos threw a sucker punch at Kimmo Timonen in the dying moments of Game 2. (CP Images)
It may not be the Hatfields and McCoys - at least not yet - but let's just say there is no love lost in this edgy little playoff tussle between the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers.
And if you were looking for someone to throw down the gauntlet to turn up the heat a few more degrees, consider it done.
As if the Flyers needed anything else to pin to their bulletin board, Guy Carbonneau went public condoning the sucker punch/facewash/cheap shot - call it what you will-that Tom Kostopoulos administered on Kimmo Timonen moments after the Flyers guaranteed they would be getting out of Montreal with a split Saturday night.
''I think he deserved it,'' Carbonneau told reporters. ''That's why they didn't call any (major) penalties on it.''
''A lot of things happened during the course of the game. There's one team that shouldn't talk. They had the most suspensions in the league."
A-ha. So Carbonneau has noticed the body count the Flyers have racked up this season. Not exactly the Broad Street Bullies of three-plus decades ago, but you don't want to be turning your back on the Flyers all that often.
Maybe Carbonneau knows his team is fortunate to be heading to Philly on even terms and is looking to throw a spark into his boys.
But on the morning after, to have your coach publically defend a sucker punch as you get ready to head into enemy territory for a few days doesn't seem the wisest of moves. Carbonneau may as well have the team equipment manager paint a big red bullseye on the back of the Canadiens' jerseys.
If you don't think this is a topic of discussion inside the walls of Philly's dressing room, think again. No one is suggesting the Flyers will turn to back-alley tactics, particularly in a series they seem to hold the upper hand in, but if there is a team that could employ this eye-for-an eye mentality, they wear orange and black.
This series may get ugly yet and if it does, the Canadiens will have no one to blame but themselves.
They've started the schoolhouse scrap. Now they're heading into the neighborhood bully's stomping grounds where they'll have to back it up.
The Canadiens may want to make sure that medical coverage is up to date. With the Flyers in a nasty mood, they may need it before long.