The Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins don’t seem very fond of each other.
Boston’s 6-1 loss in Game 2 on Wednesday validated such sentiment — with both teams combining for 136 penalty minutes and a whopping 12 game misconducts in the third period alone.
An unexpected bout between Matthew Tkachuk and David Pastrnak served as the emphatic stamp on a spirited response by the Panthers after snoozing through Game 1. But that superstar scrap might also be the spark that takes this acrimonious second-round series to another level.
“This is what playoffs is about,” Bruins captain Brad Marchand said after Florida evened the series on Wednesday.