Bruins React To Emotional, Physical Hard-Fought Win Vs. Panthers

The Bruins and Florida Panthers have met three times in the regular season, with Boston winning each contest.

Each matchup between the two franchises has felt like a playoff game, and Boston's 4-3 win on Tuesday night was the most physical with 90 combined hits between the two clubs, two fighting majors and five roughing penalties.

Bruins captain and 5-foot-9 forward Brad Marchand took on Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola, who stands at 6-foot-5. Having the smaller Marchand go toe-to-toe with Mikkola sent a message to the Boston bench.

"I think it was a lot of guys playing for each other today and winning battles. Seeing guys fighting for each other," Pavel Zacha told reporters, per team-provided video. "It was great seeing your captain going against someone like that. It just always helps to see everyone engaged and wanting to win tonight. ... Every shift like that, we won the battles and we have to keep playing like that more often."

Zacha scored his sixth game-winning goal for the Bruins, which ties him with Marchand for the team's lead this season.

"It was an important win for us," Zacha said. "We know (Florida) is a really good team. I think it was a playoff-like game. Winning those is really important for us to build the game moving forward."

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Marchand wasn't the only Bruin to engage in physical play against the Panthers. Defenseman Hampus Lindholm had his first NHL career fighting major in the second period when he dropped the gloves with Sam Bennett.

"There was a lot of battles out there, but I think we really stuck to it there," Lindholm said, per team-provided video. "Those are games we are going to see moving forward so it was a fun game to play. ... It was an emotional game, we got the win and it feels really good right now."

Lindholm said the physical type of game the Panthers brought will only help the Bruins down the stretch.

"Those are the games we stick together as a team," Lindholm said. "I think we do a great job with that. Getting the win in the end and holding them off there in the end was really big."

With the win, the Bruins are two points ahead of the Panthers in the standings with nine games left to play in the regular season. Boston will look to build on the win when they face the Tampa Bay Lighting on Wednesday night.