Bruins still pissed off about Sam Bennett punch on Brad Marchand
The Sam Bennett punch that has officially knocked Bruins captain Brad Marchand out of the lineup for Game 4 at TD Garden remained a talking point Sunday morning.
And it’s something that is still a massive issue for the Bruins.
“Well, I don’t think I classified it as dirty, I just thought it was outside the lines,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said. “I think it was someone that plays the game on the edge and he knew what he was doing. I don’t know if you’ve seen the picture from behind, but he clearly loaded up.”
“During the game, it was hard to know it was a dirty hit,” B’s forward Trent Frederic said following the team’s optional morning skate at TD Garden. “I don’t think we knew how bad it was. I think guys have now seen the replay of it slowed down and you can see what he did.
“At the time, I don’t know if we knew how bad it was, but now we do.”
With the team not seeing the full replays of the incident until after the game, the Bruins did not respond to Bennett at any point in Game 3. That’s something that Montgomery ultimately took the blame for when discussing the lack of pushback on Bennett specifically in Boston’s Game 3 defeat.
“I feel that that’s my fault that we didn’t retaliate to some degree,” Montgomery offered. “But you’re trying to get back in the game. It’s 1-0 until [the Panthers] get the four-minute power play and then we start the third and we score right away and now we got juices going. So there’s reasons why we didn’t, but there’s something that I, personally, take responsibility for.”
So, does retaliation happen tonight?
For what it’s worth, sources have indeed confirmed to 98.5 The Sports Hub that what most of you saw was correct and that multiple Bruins challenged Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov to a fight on the opening faceoff of Game 3. That challenge was almost certainly in response to Matt Tkachuk fighting with Bruins superstar (and non-fighter) David Pastrnak in the third period of Game 2.
So, to recap, the Bruins have been pissed about the Panthers fighting a non-fighter and top-tier talent in Pastrnak in Game 2 and are now rightfully pissed about what happened to Marchand in Game 3. That anger in this rematch with Florida was to be expected, and it’s something the B’s aren’t denying.
“I think it pisses off everyone,” Frederic admitted. “I think this whole [Panthers] team kind of ticks everyone off, to be honest. And there’s some individuals that make guys more frustrated and more mad. You still gotta go out and do the job. We’re still down 2-1 and we’ll try to make it 2-2 tonight.”
If there’s ever been a time for the Bruins to make the Panthers answer in some fashion, it’s in Sunday’s Game 4. And, at this points, being given the option may be a thing of the past if a Bruin comes calling. But as Frederic noted, the Bruins are still in this series, and need a win more than they need revenge.
Especially with the league already watching this series with a close eye before the Marchand injury.
“I’m sure all these refs are aware of what happened the last three games and the last game,” Frederic acknowledged. “In a great world, we can just go do something about it and be fair, eyeball for an eyeball. But sometimes that’s not how it works, and you just gotta find your spot.”