Frazer McLaren Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto's Frazer McLaren (R) has six fighting majors this season. Reuters

A fight at the start of the first period may have overshadowed a gritty 5-4 home victory for the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Ottawa Senators Wednesday night.

Teammates and referees had to pick Ottawa rookie center David Dziurzynski off the ice after Maple Leaf Frazer McLaren knocked him out 26 seconds into the game.

McLaren fired off a few quick jabs after a face-off in the Toronto zone, and Dziurzynski went down.

Dziurzynski reportedly has a concussion, and is listed as day-to-day.

It was the sixth fighting major for Ottawa this season, but the league-leading 24th for the Maple Leafs, despite going three straight games without a tussle. McClaren has already equaled all of Ottawa with six fighting majors this year.

The Toronto Sun points out the Maple Leafs may be trying to make a statement to the rest of the league.

Bitter rivals, now third in the Northeast, Toronto holds a two-point advantage over the Senators.

The video below shows the fight in its entirety.