Visualize the scenario. Atlantic Division showdown. Boston Bruins versus Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. High-stakes hockey between two Stanley Cup contenders. Anything could happen on the ice, and that’s exactly what went down in Florida on Tuesday, March, 26.
In a contest that saw the Bruins beat the Panthers 4-3, things got as heated as possible in the middle of the second frame when an altercation between Brad Marchand and Niko Mikkola emerged out of nowhere.
Marchand took over the Bruins captain role this season following the retirement of former “C” Patrice Bergeron. With great power comes great responsibility, and with larger NHL roles comes larger challenges–and challengers in this particular case.
5 FOOT 9 MARCHAND VS. 6 FOOT 5 MIKKOLA 🥊 pic.twitter.com/Xc0R5SDGau
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 27, 2024
That’s why Marchand, listed at 5-foot-9, found no issue in fighting Panthers’ giant Niko Mikkola, listed at 6-foot-5, on Tuesday.
The two players exchanged a few cross-checks, Marchand tried to land a couple of swings on Mikkola, and ultimately both fell to the ground as the Florida man quickly finished the exchange with a takedown.
The fight didn’t have a clear winner, but it took place when the Panthers were still ahead 2-1 and it flipped the script of the game entirely as the Bruins pulled off a come-from-behind victory thanks to a late goal by Bruins center Pavel Zacha with a little over two minutes left in regulation.
“You’ve got to win in the trenches if you’re going to win in the playoffs,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after the win over Florida on March 26. “I just liked the way that our team kept competing and we battled for each other,” he adde
“We were in every battle together, all five guys stuck together. That’s what we need.”
Bruins’ Head Coach Punishment, Marchand’s Fight Sparks Improvement
This game was crucial for both teams, each with 97 points at the start of it. It was probably even more important for a Bruins team that found itself riding a two-game losing streak against the still NHL-best New York Rangers and a lesser opponent in the Philadelphia Flyers.
Following the loss against Philly, coach Montgomery lost no time letting his players know how upset he was, as documented by Heavy’s Emma Lingan on March 25.
“Wake the (expletive) up!” was heard at the Bruins practice facility the day after the loss against the Flyers.
“I hated the way we finished the game in Philly,” Montgomery told reporters after practice.
“Every day it’s our job to be sharp, to be on the ball, and we weren’t today,” Marchand said when asked about his coach’s message after that practice. “It was a great reminder from Monty that expectations are high here, completely warranted, and especially with the games we have coming up and where we’re at in the season. We need to be dialed in every day.”
It cannot be argued the tantrum, along with Marchand’s willingness to put on a literal fight, worked wonders for the Bruins.
Leave a Reply