The Bruins and Florida Panthers have met thrice within the common season, with Boston successful every contest.
Every matchup between the 2 franchises has felt like a playoff recreation, and Boston’s 4-3 win on Tuesday evening was probably the most bodily with 90 mixed hits between the 2 golf equipment, two preventing majors and 5 roughing penalties.
Bruins captain and 5-foot-9 ahead Brad Marchand took on Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola, who stands at 6-foot-5. Having the smaller Marchand go toe-to-toe with Mikkola despatched a message to the Boston bench.
“I feel it was lots of guys taking part in for one another at the moment and successful battles. Seeing guys preventing for one another,” Pavel Zacha informed reporters, per team-provided video. “It was nice seeing your captain going in opposition to somebody like that. It simply at all times helps to see everybody engaged and eager to win tonight. … Each shift like that, we gained the battles and now we have to maintain taking part in like that extra usually.”
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Zacha scored his sixth game-winning aim for the Bruins, which ties him with Marchand for the workforce’s lead this season.
“It was an vital win for us,” Zacha stated. “We all know (Florida) is a extremely good workforce. I feel it was a playoff-like recreation. Profitable these is absolutely vital for us to construct the sport shifting ahead.”
Marchand wasn’t the one Bruin to have interaction in bodily play in opposition to the Panthers. Defenseman Hampus Lindholm had his first NHL profession preventing main within the second interval when he dropped the gloves with Sam Bennett.
“There was lots of battles on the market, however I feel we actually caught to it there,” Lindholm stated, per team-provided video. “These are video games we’re going to see shifting ahead so it was a enjoyable recreation to play. … It was an emotional recreation, we bought the win and it feels actually good proper now.”
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Lindholm stated the bodily sort of recreation the Panthers introduced will solely assist the Bruins down the stretch.
“These are the video games we stick collectively as a workforce,” Lindholm stated. “I feel we do a terrific job with that. Getting the win ultimately and holding them off there ultimately was actually massive.”
With the win, the Bruins are two factors forward of the Panthers within the standings with 9 video games left to play within the common season. Boston will look to construct on the win once they face the Tampa Bay Lighting on Wednesday evening.