Haggerty: Bruins-Panthers just took a nasty turn in Florida's Game 2 rout

There was zero question that the Florida Panthers were going to be a much better team in Wednesday night’s Game 2 against the Boston Bruins. There was also little doubt that it was going to be a much nastier, gritter and more physical affair given the results of Game 1, given the makeup of both the Bruins and Panthers.

All of those things happened as the Panthers took round 2 by a 6-1 score over the B’s in Game 2 at Amerant Bank Arena in a game where the two teams totaled 145 penalty minutes and 11 misconducts in the third period. That’s a reflection of a game that got out of hand midway through the second period with Boston’s tired legs and mistakes compounding on each other, and with a pair of Atlantic Division rivals that seem to truly hate each other at this point competing against each other in the postseason two years running.

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It was also a statement by the Black and Gold that they aren’t about to sit and endure Florida’s bully routine again this season when they have a big, physical roster of their own ready to respond in kind.

“This is what the playoffs are about. This is where rivalries are built. Obviously with last year it kind of started there,” said Brad Marchand. “They play a physical game, and we can play that way as well. It creates a lot of emotion and adrenaline and a lot of really good battles. You can see both teams are competing really hard out there, and they want to win. They’re leaving it all out there. It’s going to be a physical series. We know that. That’s what the fans love. It’s exciting and it creates rivalries.

“I think we’re built a little differently this year and [we are] in a bit better of a position to push back physically. When the time presents itself, you can see that we’re a little bigger throughout the lineup and more physical. That’s what [the Panthers] bring every night so we need to keep it going.”

The game itself looked like the adrenaline finally ran out from the Game 7 win over the Leafs, and Florida was able to finally put pressure on Boston’s defense just like they did last postseason. Charlie McAvoy had a couple of tough plays when it mattered most in a tired-looking game for him, getting beaten to the front of the Boston net by Sasha Barkov on Florida’s second goal, and then screening Jeremy Swayman on the Panthers’ third goal off the stick of defenseman Gus Forsling.

McAvoy looked fatigued and mistake-prone in defeat and has kind of alternated good and bad games in the postseason while admittedly holding a lot on his shoulders as the leader of Boston’s D-men corps.

That followed a strong first period for Boston where the Bruins took a one-goal lead on Charlie Coyle’s first goal of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and preceded a third period where things took a nasty turn with line brawls and a lot of angry hugging.  

“I thought our team was emotionally engaged,” said Jim Montgomery. “We just didn’t have the juice. We couldn’t match the emotion they had. That’s why the spillovers happened in the third period was because we did have emotion. A little undisciplined, but that’s part of playoff hockey.”

The coup de grace was David Pastrnak accepting Matthew Tkachuk’s invitation to drop the gloves in the third period with the game well out of hand. The more experienced fighter in Tkachuk got the drop on Pastrnak and raised his ire by throwing a few extra punches when the B’s goal scorer was already down on the ice, but it was a defining moment for both teams watching their franchise players engaged in a good, old-fashioned hockey fight.

“I don’t think there’s going to be any spill over to the next game. It’s two teams that are rivals. We played each other last year, we’re playing each other this year and it’s going to be a series,” said Montgomery. “What I’m really proud of is [Pastrnak]. There are so many guys out there pushing after the whistles when the linesmen is going to be there. [Pastrnak] and Tkachuk, they just went out there and fought. That’s what you like. You like your hockey players to be competitors.”

It looked like Pastrnak said something to Montgomery before going out and fighting Tkachuk after the two agreed to meet at center ice, but it wasn’t permission to drop the gloves. It was instead No. 88 simply making sure he was supposed to be on the ice where he engaged with Tkachuk after Pat Maroon, Justin Brazeau, Trent Frederic, McAvoy and Marchand had already been bounced from the game with 10-minute misconducts.

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“You are in a game. It’s a lot of emotions,” said Pastrnak. “I’m not afraid of [Tkachuk], to be honest. I can take a punch and I’d do anything for my teammates.”

So what to make of all of this?

If nothing else, it was encouraging to see the Bruins push hard back at the Panthers in a game where they clearly got the advantage. Boston wasn’t going to let the Panthers players taunt them after scoring or act like face-licking buffoons once the game got out of hand, and instead were starting the long hit of the reset button before readying for an important Game 3 on Friday night at home in Boston.

If nothing else the Game 2 loss should whet the appetite of hockey fans around the world that this Bruins/Panthers series is going to be worth the price of admission between two hockey teams that truly despise each other.