Early in the second period of the contest, the Panthers lead the Bruins 2-1 in a game that could be a deciding factor in who wins the Atlantic division. After a routine save by Jeremey Swayman, a brawl broke out in the Bruins defensive zone, headlined by Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennet.
Many fans were reminded of the classic playoff series between these two teams last year when the Panthers shockingly upset the Bruins in seven games. After tonight's events, many are excited to see the teams potentially match up again.
Things would continue to stay hot throughout the rest of the game, leading to more altercations.
Just a few minutes later, Bruins captain Brad Marchand dropped the gloves with Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola. Notably, Marchand is just 5'9" while Mikkola stands at 6'4", not that far from being a whole foot taller than him. However, Marchand seemed to get the better of him in the short fight.
The game would continue to see wild momentum swings with the Bruins ultimately pulling off the unlikely comeback, the opposite of what happened in last year's playoffs.
Making the game even more interesting was the fact that Bruins netminder Jeremey Swayman picked up his first career NHL point with a secondary assist on the game tying goal late in the 3rd period.
With the victory, the Bruins now have a two-point lead over the Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic division. However, the Panthers still have a game in hand which gives them a very real chance to take that spot from them. Be sure to stay tuned as the race figures to be one of the most exciting in hockey.
Source: Brad Marchand fights an opponent twice his size!
POLL | ||
Who do you think won the fight between Marchand and Mikkola? | ||
Marchand | 66 | 14.4 % |
Mikkola | 244 | 53.3 % |
Neither, too short | 148 | 32.3 % |
List of polls |