BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 20: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs prepares for a face-off during the second period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on April 20, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by China Wong/NHLI via Getty Images)
Panthers forward details fight with Bruins star: ‘Trying to punch each other in the face’.
The Boston Bruins’ second-round series with the Florida Panthers featured a lot of physicality, including a quick fight between two stars from each team.
Toward the end of the third period in Game 2 with the Bruins down 6-1, David Pastrnak and Matthew Tkachuk dropped the gloves with one another. The bout didn’t last long — Pastrnak was quickly brought down to the ice before they were separated — but it was still a memorable part of the series.
A week after the fight, Tkachuk provided some details during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday afternoon.
“I just asked him if he wanted to fight. He said, ‘No, I’d rather fight next game.’ And I was like, ‘No, we’re fighting right now.’ He then said, ‘Alright, maybe,’ he continued. “He then looked at me from bench to bench and said he was going out there. I looked at (coach) Paul (Maurice) and said, ‘I’m going,’” Tkachuk said.
That’s essentially what Pastrnak did to Jim Montgomery. Cameras caught him turning around to tell his coach he was going back out to fight. Montgomery didn’t object.
It doesn’t sound like Tkachuk and Pastrnak have any animosity toward one another. It was simply just two players “trying to punch each other in the face.”
“Honestly, I don’t think it was anything more than two guys just trying to knock each other out. At that point in the game, it was 6-1,” Tkachuk said. “There’s the aspect of sending a message to your teammates and all that, but at the end of the day, we were just out there fighting, trying to punch each other in the face. That’s it.”
Tkachuk told reporters the day after Game 2 that he had “tons of respect” for the Bruins All-Star because neither player are known for their fighting abilities.
“Give him tons and tons of respect,” Tkachuk said. “Two guys that aren’t known for fighting, me and him, and two players that are probably known more for their offensive side of the game. Tons of respect for him.”
