It might have taken Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark an extra second to shed his blocker and his mitt after being challenged by Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk, but Brad Marchand seemingly never lost his confidence in the Vezina Trophy favorite.
Ullmark initially let his teammates handle his dirty work Sunday when Tkachuk instigated some extracurriculars with three minutes remaining in Boston’s 6-2 victory at FLA Live Arena. But when Tkachuk then followed it up with a second effort and threw a hand at the unsuspecting Ullmark, the usually mild-mannered netminder showcased a fire the Bruins were thrilled to see.
After the win granted Boston a 3-1 advantage in the best-of-seven series, Marchand played the role of fight handicapper and pointed out a specific advantage his goaltender possessed, had officials let the bout play out.
“He’s got the size and reach,” Marchand told reporters of the 6-foot-5, 212-pound Ullmark, per the team. “Maybe a little less experience than Tkachuk. Maybe one day we’ll get to see.”
Tkachuk, who’s in the midst of his seventh season in the NHL, has taken part in 17 fights, per HockeyFights.com.
When asked if he had ever seen that side of Ullmark, Marchand responded: “There’s got to be something in water, the goalie’s water bottles this year. They all seem to want to be in the mix. But I just think emotions run high this time of the year and we’ve always had the mentality of sticking up for one another. Just another great example of that.”
It was one of the many times the Panthers tried to throw the Bruins off their game. Boston forward Garnet Hathaway was on the receiving end of an after-the-whistle cross-check from Tkachuk at the end of the first period. Hathaway seemingly took down some names following the incident, though the Black and Gold largely have shown their composure throughout the first four contests.
Marchand and company will return to TD Garden with the chance to eliminate the Panthers from the Stanley Cup playoffs. Game 5 is set for Wednesday night, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. ET, and you can watch it live on NESN, beginning with an hour of pregame coverage.
