Crabb, Gunnarsson come to blows at Leafs practice

TORONTO - The intensity of the close Eastern Conference playoff race spilled over into the Toronto Maple Leafs' practice on Sunday, with forward Joey Crabb and defenceman Carl Gunnarsson coming to blows.

The two players squared off and Crabb got in two solid punches before the teammates were separated by forward Nikolai Kulemin and members of the coaching staff.

Crabb and Gunnarsson continued to glare at each other after the melee, but were taking the altercation in stride after practice.

"We were just battling, it's nothing much," Crabb said. "I thought he butt-ended me, he claims he didn't. That's fine, we were working hard out there, trying to get better. A quick little tussle and that was it."

Gunnarsson had trouble trying to pinpoint what exactly set the two teammates off.

"I don't know what happened," he said with a laugh. "A battle drill, you know, we both kind of snapped. Stuff happens."

"Me and Crabby always got battles going on in practice and sometimes we snap," he added. "But when practice is over, it's over."

Toronto is currently in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind eighth-place Washington.

• 

  Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer is congratulated by defenceman Carl Gunnarsson after defeating the Buffalo Sabres in NHL action in Toronto on Tuesday, March 29, 2011. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn)

• 

  Toronto Maple Leafs winger Joey Crabb, centre, is congratulated on his short-handed goal by Maple Leafs center Tim Brent, right, as Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller sits on the ice during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y., on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011. Toronto won 2-1. (AP / Don Heupel)