An interesting sight was seen on Thursday night in the Mile High City.

In a game against the Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks defenceman Elias Pettersson got into a scuffle that escalated into his first fight of his NHL career.

It happened just before the halfway mark of the third period. The younger Elias knocked down Avalanche forward Logan O’Connor in front of the Canucks goal as goaltender Kevin Lankinen was making a save. To no one’s surprise, O’Connor took exception, coming up and confronting Pettersson.

To everyone’s surprise, Pettersson was the first to drop the gloves, kind of catching O’Connor off guard. For it being his first fight, Pettersson held his own, throwing a few good shots in the scrap.

Pettersson scored the takedown and received deserved stick taps from his teammates.

For O’Connor, it was his second fight of the season, having fought Henry Thrun of the San Jose Sharks back in October. Thursday’s fight was the 12th of his NHL career.

Those who know Pettersson know he isn’t the obvious choice for fisticuffs. The rookie blueliner came into the game with just 12 penalty minutes on the year. He might not be the biggest guy, but with a 6-foot-2 frame, the 21-year-old has the reach that gives him a little bit of an advantage when the gloves come off.

The Canucks ended up coming away with a 4-1 win over the playoff-bound Avalanche, giving Vancouver back-to-back wins for the first time in over two weeks.

Pettersson’s first full season in North America has been a good learning experience. The Swede started the season with the Canucks’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, and has been in and out of the lineup since his latest call up in late January. In 25 games with Vancouver, Pettersson has scored a goal and three points.

With Abbotsford, he notched a goal and 12 assists for 13 points in 38 contests.