Bad Blood? These Game 2 Stats Show Tension Between Bruins, Panthers

09/05/2024 21:39

We’ve officially reached the point in the Bruins vs. Panthers second-round Stanley Cup playoffs series where Boston and Florida don’t like each other.

There already was potential for bad blood — Florida knocked off Boston in a seven-game, first-round battle last season — but tempers flared Wednesday night during the third period of the Panthers’ Game 2 win at Amerant Bank Arena.

Consider this: 136 penalty minutes were dished out in the final frame.

The Bruins finished Game 2 with 77 penalty minutes, their most in a playoff game since 1988. The Panthers racked up 71 total penalty minutes.

As ESPN noted, it was the first playoff game where both teams accumulated more than 70 penalty minutes since 2015. And most of those stemmed from a fight-filled finish that included a 1-on-1 throwdown between David Pastrnak and Matthew Tkachuk, two legitimate NHL superstars.

“These are two teams that are rivals,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after Game 2. “Played each other last year, playing each other this year. It’s going to be a series.”

The Panthers ultimately cruised to a 6-1 victory Wednesday, evening the series at one game apiece. The action now shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Friday, with puck drop from TD Garden scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, after an hour of pregame coverage on NESN+.

Bruins-Panthers might not be the first rivalry that comes to mind when dissecting the NHL’s long, illustrious history. It’s front and center right now, though, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see tensions boil over again as the teams vie for a spot in the Eastern Conference finals.