Trent Frederic’s Second-Period Fight ‘Fired Up’ Bruins Vs. Rangers

Bruins forward Trent Frederic didn’t forget about the illegal baseball-like swing from Rangers captain Jacob Trouba that resulted in a $5,000 fine on Nov. 25 during Boston’s previous matchup with New York.

Hosting the Rangers at TD Garden on Saturday night, Frederic hunted for redemption and got his chance in the second period. The 25-year-old dropped his gloves with Trouba with 8:55 minutes left in the second frame, dropping the New York defenseman while getting a few revenge shots in before being separated and escorted to the penalty box.

“He did a great job,” teammate Brad Marchand told reporters postgame. “Freddy was still a little upset about the baseball swing to the head last game. Two tough guys that are respectful, they both play hard and they compete. … We definitely fed off it. You always get fired up when you see a teammate step up in a situation like that.”

Trouba did take full accountability for the initial incident that promoted Frederic to throw hands and drop the 6-foot-3 veteran on the ground, however, it was far too late.

“It was an accident, Frederic and I were both surprised, but it can’t happen,” Trouba told reporters on Nov. 27, per Sportsnet.

The Bruins won the fight, but the Rangers won the ultimate battle, taking home a 2-1 overtime victory, courtesy of some timely heroics. New York center Vincent Trocheck scored the equalizer in the third period on the power play, and then scored again 2:30 into overtime to send Boston back to the loss column.

Boston’s late-game struggles with closing out wins continue to haunt the Bruins, although the Black and Gold remain atop the Atlantic Division at 19-5-5 on the season.