Even Matthew Tkachuk Gave David Pastrnak Flowers After Game 2 Fight
David Pastrnak received plenty of praise from his Bruins teammates and head coach Jim Montgomery after he answered Matthew Tkachuk’s request to drop the gloves in Boston’s Game 2 loss at Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday.
But given it’s such a rarity to see the star forward take part in extracurriculars, even Tkachuk had to give Pastrnak his flowers.
“Give him tons and tons of respect,” the Panthers star forward told reporters Thursday, per Sportsnet. “Two guys that aren’t known for fighting, me and him, and two players that are probably known more for their offensive side of the game. Tons of respect for him.”
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Tkachuk confirmed it was he who challenged Pastrnak. He did so because he and his Florida teammates weren’t happy Boston’s bottom six mucked it up in the frame. The Bruins served 77 minutes of penalties with a combined 12 third-period misconducts.
Pastrnak felt he needed to answer the call for his team.
“Both emotional guys that are leaders for our teams that really just want to show we’ll do whatever it takes to win,” Tkachuk said. “We weren’t going out there to play patty-cake or anything. We were going out there to have some fun in the fight and try to land some punches. Tons of respect to him for wanting to do that.”
Montgomery wasn’t too pleased with Tkachuk as the Bruins bench boss felt Tkachuk crossed the line when he threw hands even after Pastrnak fell to the ice.
The Bruins and Panthers will face off again in Game 3 at TD Garden on Friday night. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. ET, and pregame coverage can be found at 6 p.m. ET on NESN+.