David Pastrnak’s Game 2 Fight ‘Fired Up’ Bruins Teammate

The Boston Bruins sure aren’t used to seeing David Pastrnak drop the gloves and throw punches on the ice.

But Pastrnak made sure to get involved in the fracas that came in the third period of Game 2 by tussling with Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk.

Bruins captain Brad Marchand commended Pastrnak for his actions while Jim Montgomery saw it as “inspiring.” And there’s no doubt that Pastrnak getting into a rare fight energized those left on Boston’s bench along with the number of his teammates already back in the locker room.

“That gets you fired up,” James van Riemsdyk told reporters Thursday, per team-provided video. “Obviously, you see how much he cares and he wants to do whatever it takes to win. It gets the guys really fired up. Obviously, we don’t want to see him doing it too often, but certainly show that emotion like that, it shows how much he cares and that’s why he’s such a big part of the team and why he’s such a good player.”

Pastrnak ended up being one of six Bruins players to receive a game misconduct in Game 2 while the same number of Panthers players met the same fate.

The third period turned into one drawn-out melee and the bad blood between the two sides could boil over to Game 3. And if that happens the Bruins will be ready for it and certainly won’t back down to the Panthers.

“We always pride ourselves on sticking together as a team, no matter what the game brings,” van Riemsdyk said. “Whatever style of game that may lead to, we’re ready for that. I think that just shows our group is very willing and not going to shy away from any type of style of game that wants to be played.”