Tom Wilson, Josh Anderson take fight to the benches during Capitals-Canadiens Game 3

The Stanley Cup playoffs are a different breed of hockey. Every game is a must-win affair and with the Montreal Canadiens entering Friday night down two games to none against the top-seeded Washington Capitals, there was the scent of desperation in the air at Bell Center.

That desperation paid off. Montreal emerged with a 6-3 win over the Capitals and cut the series deficit in half. However, despite the high-scoring affair there was a significant amount of fisticuffs throughout the contest.

There was a grand total of 42 penalty minutes doled out with the vast majority of them for roughing or fighting alone. In fact, two players earned 24 of those minutes on their own.

Tom Wilson, Josh Anderson brawl on Capitals bench in Canadiens' Game 3 win

After the second period buzzer sounded, Capitals winger Tom Wilson and Canadiens winger Josh Anderson got into it on Washington's bench - no, not near the bench area, literally on the bench - when a scuffle broke out among the teams.

Wilson and Anderson engaged in a nasty brawl in an area that has rarely, if ever, seen a fight in hockey games. The bench area has several objects and structures that could seriously injure a player if they were to fall over and hit something, especially their head.

At Bell Center in Montreal, the home team tunnel is right next to the away team bench area. So, both teams have to essentially crossover one another to get to their respective locker rooms. In a tense playoff atmosphere, that's a pure powder keg waiting for a spark.

Friday's contest flamed multiple times and the second intermission bout was the climax. Ultimately, it seemed to swing momentum in Montreal's favor as it outscored Washington 3-1 in the third period to ice away a much-needed victory.