After the Boston Bruins fell to the Florida Panthers, 5-4, in a shootout on Wednesday night, they hit their Olympic break in sole possession of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. During the loss, Florida forward Sandis Vilmanis hit Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy in the head with an elbow. It didn't look like McAvoy was going to return to the game, but he did.
Vilmanis didn't return to the game after he served his penalty with an "upper-body" injury. Miraculously, he played in the Panthers' 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. As expected, quickly falling out of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, once the Lightning got an insurmountable lead, Florida turned the game into a clown show. Fights and cheap shots. The Paul Maurice way.
Anyway, one day after Vilmanis did not receive any disciplinary action for his flying elbow on McAvoy, NHL Player Safety decided to show up to work on Friday. They fined Lightning forward Curtis Douglas for starting a fight. I kid you not.
Tampa Bay’s Curtis Douglas has been fined $2,018.23, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for serving as the aggressor in an altercation with Florida’s Niko Mikkola.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) February 6, 2026
You can't make this stuff up. I guess an elbow to the head is legal now. Again, there is bound to be a serious injury.
Bruins draft pick clarification
When the Bruins traded Brad Marchand to the Panthers at the trade deadline last March, they got a first-round draft pick back in return. Now, since that day, there have been numerous takes on just where and how the pick will be. On Friday, we may get some clarification from Frank Seravalli.
According to Scott McLaughlin of WEEI, the pick the Bruins received from Florida will bump to a pick in the 2028 Entry Draft instead of 2027 if the Panthers pick in the top 10 after this year's Draft Lottery is decided. It's a real possibility that the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs will pick inside the top 10 this upcoming June.
David Pastrnak flag-bearer
The opening ceremonies were held for the Olympics on Friday, and Bruins superstar forward David Pastrnak was the flag-bearer for Czechia, which he was honored to be chosen for. The preliminary round of hockey games will kick off on Wednesday.