Boston Brawlers: Five Best Bruins Hits, Fights From First Week

The Boston Bruins made it a goal last offseason to get bigger and tougher, and that was made quickly apparent in the first two games of the season.

General manager Don Sweeney and his staff made ambitious moves headlined by forward Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov, whose signing made 6-foot-1, 209-pound Charlie McAvoy one of the smallest players on the blue line.

Boston got off on the wrong side of the scoreboard to start the season and then bounced back Thursday at TD Garden, but it set the tone early for the kind of team it wants to be. If you missed out on Bruins action this week, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s look back at the top hits and fights from the first two games in no particular order.

1. Mark Kastelic Vs. A.J. Greer
The Bruins’ fourth line became must-watch through two games, and we already guessed Kastelic would be a fan favorite, and he didn’t waste time Tuesday night going after a former Boston forward.

2. Matthew Tkachuk Declines Fisticuffs
Trent Frederic tried to get revenge on Tkachuk, but the Florida Panthers star wanted nothing to do with a fight even though he agreed to drop gloves. Nikita Zadorov even tried to go after Tkachuk, which led to a side exchange with David Pastrnak. Things could get interesting Monday.

3. Captains Serving
Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy knew the Bruins needed to respond after a brutal loss to Florida, so the captain and alternate captain lit up Alex Newhook and Alex Barre-Boulet, respectively, Thursday night.

4. Exchanging Pleasantries
The end of the second period of the Bruins’ matchup against the Montreal Canadiens got testy when Jeremy Swayman tried to get Nick Suzuki out of his crease. The referees were quick to cool down the situation, and the star goalie played down the encounter. But it’s clear Swayman won’t ever back down from a challenge.

5. Nikita (Don’t Call Him “Big Z”) Zadorov
We mentioned Zadorov tried to get into it with Tkachuk, and he didn’t stop Tuesday night as the massive blueliner also laid in a big hit on forward Kirby Dach during a Canadiens power play. The defenseman scored two points in the Bruins’ win Thursday night, and if he’s able to continue his play on both ends, he’ll prove to be the pivotal signing fans hoped he could be.