Watch: Habs' Brendan Gallagher chucks knuckles with Zach Werenski in spirited tilt

During Wednesday's matchup, Montreal Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher and Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski engaged in a heated fight as the second period was winding down.

The tension had been building, with the two players exchanging words after a whistle. Positioned at the blue line, they traded a couple of slashes before Gallagher decided to drop the gloves.

Watch the video here:

As the dust settled, both Gallagher and Werenski were hit with a two-minute minor for slashing and a five-minute major penalty for fighting each other. The score was tied 2-2 at the time when both players dropped their gloves.

Zach Werenski on his scrap with Brendan Gallagher

Werenski opened up about his altercation with Brendan Gallagher after the game. He said:

"Just a chance for me to stand up for myself. I didn't want to take any (crap) from him. It doesn't happen very often, but I'm definitely not afraid to do it."

Blue Jackets coach Dean Eavason came in support of Werenski, describing him as a team player.

"He’s a team guy. You get speared in the area you don't want to get speared in, then you react like he reacted. I was happy with the way he reacted."

The Canadiens defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in overtime, thanks to Nick Suzuki's goal. With the win, the Habs improved their record to 8-11-3 and remain at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with 19 points after 22 games.

Brendan Gallagher recorded seven penalty minutes in the game. The Habs travel to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Rangers next on Friday. The puck drops at 1 p.m. ET.