"Blue Jackets center Derick Brassard wasn't thinking clearly.

Late in a 6-0 loss Tuesday night at San Jose, Brassard was driven into the end boards by Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle, who then barked at him to "get up," a suggestion that Brassard was embellishing the hit.

What followed wasn't pretty.

Brassard and Boyle dropped their gloves, and Boyle proceeded to whale away on Brassard as he buckled to his knees.

"If anybody thinks I was fighting because I expected to win the fight, no," Brassard said. "I answer the bell. … I was frustrated. It was 6-0 and that's how I responded.""