Panthers at Bruins Game 3: One way or another, this is probably going to be a slugfest following back-and-forth of the first two games.
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The Boston Bruins need to do far more than just land some welts against the Panthers if they want to take a 2-1 series lead on Friday.
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Pat Maroon says Bruins should be angry after Game 2, but ‘Tkachuk’s not going to fight me’
By
Jim McBride Globe Staff,Updated May 10, 2024, 41 minutes ago
6
Pat Maroon was one of seven Bruins who received misconduct penalties in Game 2 against Florida.MATTHEW J. LEE/GLOBE STAFF
Pat Maroon is not happy, and he wants the Bruins to be angry.
The rugged winger weighed in on
the David Pastrnak-Matthew Tkachuk fisticuffs in Game 2 of this series against Panthers, knowing full well that many fans were expecting him to settle the score in Game 3 Friday night.
“It’s two skill guys fighting,” Maroon said following the Bruins’ morning skate at TD Garden Friday. “I mean, Tkachuk’s not going to fight me. So if I go out there and take a dumb penalty and they get a power play, then my job’s not accomplished, so can’t look at it like that.
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“Just got to take numbers. Obviously, I didn’t like how he hit [Pastrnak] on the ground twice. I think that’s dirty.”
Like many of his teammates, Maroon appreciated Pastrnak’s willingness to accept Tkachuk’s challenge in the late stages of Game 2.
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“I like the idea of him fighting,” said Maroon. “I think Pasta did a good job. That’s what leaders do, and he stood up for the team. He took charge.
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“You’ve got to love that kind of stuff out of your leader, and he’s fighting another skilled player, but obviously it’s a game within the game. I don’t like the aftermath of it, so we know that part, right? So I mean, listen, I’ll probably never play against Tkachuk anyway, so let’s be realistic here.”
Maroon, one of seven Bruins hit with misconducts in Game 2, said his club should be upset, but not just about all the goings-on after the play stops.
“I think we should be pissed off for sure,” he said. “I think especially about our game, too, though.
“I think most importantly, all the other stuff — whatever, you know, the scrums, them yelling in our face after they score — it’s over. It’s done with. We’ve got to be mad in here. Play with intensity, play the way we’re supposed to be playing.
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“We’re winning our battles, we’re doing the same thing, we’re hitting and we’re playing the simple game. A brand of hockey that the Bruins know how to play, and we’re in their face.
“Obviously the stuff that happened, we know what happened and it stays in this locker room.”
Playing with emotion while also controlling those emotions is a delicate balance but also a key to success, said Maroon, who has played on three Stanley Cup winners.
“I think you’ve just got to stay even keel,” he said. “Never too high. Never too low, right?
“So, listen, you can’t be taking penalties like, myself, in between whistles. I mean, the power play’s eventually going to get one, right? So you’ve just got to be smart between the whistles, play hard, and if anything’s out there, then maybe something will happen.
“But right now, we’ve just got to continue to play hard here.”
Jim McBride can be reached at
[email protected]. Follow him
@globejimmcbride.
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