SUNRISE, Fla. -- It was not long ago, back before the start of the Eastern Conference First Round, that Brad Marchand mentioned that the Toronto Maple Leafs had become the biggest rival of the Boston Bruins, more so even than the Montreal Canadiens.
But the Florida Panthers can’t be far behind.
The Bruins and Panthers are quickly becoming one of the best rivalries in the NHL, the bad blood spilling over from last season’s epic seven-game first-round series, when the Panthers roared back from a 3-1 series deficit to win Game 7. They wouldn’t slow down until the Stanley Cup Final.
This year’s matchup, which now stands 1-1 in the best-of-7 second round, might be just as epic.
“This is what playoffs is about,” said Marchand, the Bruins captain, after the Panthers won 6-1 in Game 2 at Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday. “This is where rivalries are built in the playoffs. With last year, it kind of started there. They play a physical game and we’re able to do that as well. It creates a lot of emotion and adrenaline. A lot of really good battles, guys are competing hard out there. You can see both teams want to win. They’re leaving it all out there.
“It’s going to be a physical series, we know that. That’s what fans love. It’s exciting. And it creates rivalries."
The next game in the series, in the rivalry, for those marking their calendars, is on Friday at TD Garden in Boston (7 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC).
“It’s awesome for the sport,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “A whole lot of people in South Florida, who maybe never thought of hockey as their thing, are having a big night tonight because the Panthers won. So we’re going to get up there [for Game 3], it’s going to be crazy, the building’s going to be rocking, they’re going to drop the puck and it’s going to be physical, it’s going to be fast, it’s the greatest sport on Earth.
“Why wouldn’t you come to the game?”
It’s possible that by then, almost 48 hours from Game 2, the emotions will have simmered down, the blood pressure will have lowered, the bruises will have turned from purple to a muted yellow. It’s possible.
But, if not, it might just be a doozy.
“These are two teams that are rivals,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “Played each other last year, playing each other this year. It’s going to be a series.”
This was a game that bonded teammates and teams, that saw star players dance, that signaled just how much these players believe in each other, how much they care, the lengths to which they’re willing to go.
“We have so much belief in this room,” Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman said. “We have so much confidence in this room. And to see the way that we responded, we’re never going to back down.”
That was never clearer than by the cut that marred the bridge of Bruins forward David Pastrnak’s nose.
Eleven misconducts had been handed out by the time Pastrnak and Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk made an agreement, flanked by two referees, to fight. They talked, they nodded, they went back to their benches and then, at 12:42 of the third period, they fought.
“You’re in the games, it’s a lot of emotions,” Pastrnak said. “I’m not afraid of him, to be honest. I can take a punch and I’d do anything for these guys here.”
It was not his first fight in the NHL -- that was against Dan Girardi of the Tampa Bay Lightning back on March 29, 2018 --- but 110-point scorers are not wont to drop the gloves, especially against opponents more practiced in the art.
But playoffs are a different animal. Playoffs against a rival are a different animal entirely.
