After a dominating Game 1 win over the Florida Panthers, 5-1, Monday night, the Boston Bruins were expecting a big response from their Atlantic Division foes and they got it and more in Game 2 Wednesday night. Three goals each in the second and third periods helped Florida even the series at 1-1 with a 6-1 rout of the Black and Gold.
After the score was out of hand midway through the final period, the Black and Gold decided to send a message to the Panthers that they were not going to be pushed around. In fact, the two teams combined for 136 penalty minutes in the third period alone with several players getting tossed with misconducts.
There were some big-named players who were sent to the locker room early and one of those was Bruins star David Pastrnak. Known for his goal-scoring, the Game 7 hero against the Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday night with his series-winning overtime goal didn't back down from one challenge from Matthew Tkachuk. He'll only really challenge players to a fight that he knows he'll have an upper hand with, but regardless, Pastrnak dropped the gloves and exchanged punches with Thachuk.
A lot of people gave Pastrnak credit for stepping and answering the challenge, including one former NHL player.
Mike Rupp praises David Pastrnak for Game 2 fight
NHL Network's Mike Rupp, a bottom-six forward in his playing days, praised Pastrnak for stepping up and fighting Tkachuk and taking on a leadership role while sending a message to the rest of his teammates that he'll stand up for each and every one of them.
We gotta talk about David Pastrnak for a moment… ⤵️ #NHLBruins 💪🏼 ⚽️🏀 pic.twitter.com/BziArffYbK
— Mike Rupp (@Rupper17) May 9, 2024
Following the game, Pastrnak said that he isn't afraid of Tkachuk and gladly dropped the gloves.
"Definitely for the team. He was asking me (to go) so I felt like (I had) to step up. The game was over; it was 6-1, so I gave it a go. He got what he wanted. You’re in the game. It’s a lot of emotions. I mean, I’m not afraid of him, to be honest. I can take a punch, and I would do anything for these guys here."David Pastrnak
The Bruins sent a message to the Panthers as the series shifts to Boston and now it's up to them to go out there and continue the fight against a Florida team that is a favorite to win the series. As a Bruins fan, you have to feel a lot better about things than if they just finished out the game and took their 6-1 loss without a response.