The Panthers needed a wake-up call Tuesday night at Amerant Bank Arena, and their head coach provided one in spades.
The Bruins were the far more active team early in Game 6 of the sides' second-round Stanley Cup playoff series, which was to be expected from a club fighting to keep its season alive. Florida's largely listless play seeped into the second period, and during a TV timeout, Paul Maurice let his team have it.
The Panthers coach was red-hot, as he screamed at the reigning Eastern Conference champions and delivered a message in very animated fashion. After the game, Maurice was asked about the scene.
"I don't know the exact words of the message," Maurice told reporters, per a TSN video. "I felt that -- I wasn't mad at them. I understood what they were going through. I just thought they needed some profanity in their life. I brought some. I don't excel at a lot of things in life, but (expletive) me, am I good at that? You see how I did that?"
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Florida immediately responded, scoring 11 seconds after Maurice's tirade. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Sam Reinhart's game-tying tally was their only goal in a 2-1 loss to the Bruins.
The best-of-seven series now shifts back to TD Garden, where the sides will meet for Game 6. With Boston now riding some momentum heading back home, Maurice might have to dig deep into his bag of tricks again to keep his team playing at an optimal level Friday night.
Featured image via Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports Images
