Panthers Didn’t ‘Worry About Retribution’ From Bruins In Game 3

The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers embraced physicality and then some in a chippy, misconduct-filled end to Game 2 in Sunrise that evened the series.

That surely crept to the start of Game 3, at least to the outside world, as a major theme that could carry into Friday night’s contest. Were the teams invested in the potential for more scrums to start the game at TD Garden?

The Panthers were not.

“It wasn’t even brought up,” Florida’s Sam Bennett shared on TNT’s postgame coverage. “It’s playoff hockey. No one’s worried about retribution. We’re worried about winning. We didn’t talk about that once. It’s just all about this game tonight and getting the win.”

Bennett led a charge for the Panthers, tallying an assist and seven hits in his first appearance of the series. Florida tallied four power-play goals to shoot past the Bruins in a 6-2 final. Special teams ultimately made a difference in a game where lingering bad blood was expected to be at the center of the action. The antics of Game 2 are far in the books, forcing the Bruins into a state of necessary response moving forward.

Down 2-1 in the series, the Bruins return to home ice on Sunday night at TD Garden with the chance to draw even in Game 4.