There was an unexpected Bruins brawler in Monday afternoon’s tilt at TD Garden.
Pavel Zacha, who recently kicked off his 10th NHL season, dropped the gloves for only the second time in his career. Zacha was motivated to defend teammate David Pastrnak, who took a brutal and perhaps dirty hit from behind courtesy of former Boston bruiser A.J. Greer.
Speaking with the media one day after Zacha’s rare fight, Pastrnak was asked if he went out of his way to say something to his linemate.
“Yeah, of course,” Pastrnak told reporters, per a team-provided video. “You appreciate that guy having your back, you know? You want to make sure he knows you would do the same for him. So, (I) obviously appreciate it and I’m proud of him.”
Zacha wasn’t the only top-six Bruins forward who defended Pastrnak against the Panthers. Brad Marchand was ready to rumble with Nate Schmidt when he saw the Florida defenseman approaching Boston’s most prolific goal-scorer.
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The Bruins’ respect for one another is admirable, but they now must focus on cleaning up their game amid a shaky start to the season. Boston will try to take a step forward Wednesday night when it visits the Colorado Avalanche.
Featured image via Hannah Foslien/Imagn Images
