Early in the first period, Tkachuk was in the Bruins zone on the penalty kill and got a little too fancy with the puck. While trying to drag the puck through his legs, Marchand lined up Tkachuk for a huge hit, sending him flying into the boards.
The Bruins weren't able to capitalize on the early powerplay, but are certainly establishing the momentum early on in the road matchup against Florida. After they blew a 3-1 series lead to the Panthers last season, Brad Marchand and the Bruins look like they're taking this playoff matchup personally.
Just minutes later, the Brad Marchand line was the one to break the ice for scoring in the game. Charlie Coyle made good on a tic-tac-toe passing play to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead heading into the second period.
The Bruins dominated game one by a score of 5-1, and if they can keep up this intense physical play while targeting Matthew Tkachuk, they'll have great chances to take a strangle on the series when it heads back to Boston. This series could end up being a bracket buster for plenty of NHL fans if the Bruins can pull off the upset against the feared Florida Panthers.
POLL | ||
Who is the bigger pest: Brad Marchand or Matthew Tkachuk? | ||
Marchand | 42 | 47.2 % |
Tkachuk | 44 | 49.4 % |
See Results | 3 | 3.4 % |
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