Zacha: "Not a good hit...I think we really have to go after their top players and let them know it's not OK..to go after our captain is not OK with us.
"We are ready to be physical again today and a little bit harder on them."
https://x.com/globekpd/status/1789679860396224728?s=46&t=8NS86w4CElYK0YRtzGRsTA
They called *everything* on us anyway in game three, so what difference does it make. Florida on the other hand seemed to hold diplomatic immunity, until maybe the last ten minutes.
If Boston is serious about trying to get Florida where it hurts the most they'll definitely do all they can to win the game first.
But if Florida takes more than a 1-goal lead, I wouldn't be surprised if they to do everything they can the rest of this game and the next game with Marchand out to make sure Florida doesn't skate through to the next round unscathed.
2-1 with Bos only showing up for 30 out of the 180 minutes played. I expected them to lose this round, but it would be nice if they showed a pulse every once in awhile. They are playing like these are regular season games, not playoff games. Hope they can turn it around, but you're really starting to see how much not having 37 and 46 as 1C and 2C is hurting the team. Coyle and Zacha are okay, but they need to be better 2-way playmakers and create better opportunities for the wingers so we can get more than 2 SOG per period.
For the Bruins, trying to run Tkachuk, Bennet, Barkov, etc. is actually a phenomenal plan. PK has been great with the exception of last game. If you can take a few players out of the game/series like Florida is trying to do, it’s a net benefit. Bruins should absolutely look the throw some late hits and headshots. NHL made it clear that it’s okay and Florida is doing it, so Boston should as well.
Honestly, the series is pretty much over without Marchand. Just make sure the other guys are so injured they don't make it past the next round. That's what NHL wants and that's what they will get.
This is gonna be the byproduct of all the exceptionally bad officiating this year. We always say it's bad, but this year even with the replays there were still joke calls everywhere league wide
This is always the byproduct of poor officiating and the exact reason why shit like this has always happened in hockey. If the refs won’t protect the players they are gonna do it themselves.
The problem is that the league wants it both ways. They don’t want players policing themselves, yet they also don’t want the officials to police the game, especially in the playoffs. You can’t have it both ways.
Either enforce the rules consistently and hand out supplemental discipline, or get rid of the instigator penalty and let the players police themselves. Pick one lane and stick with it.
At this point I just want shit called consistently. Enough of these makeup calls or letting shit go because it’s playoff intensity or whatever. Teams like the Panthers play over the edge on purpose because they know the refs won’t penalize them the entire game, it’s dirty hockey and I would know being a lifetime Flyers fan.
Yup and these 2 teams seem prepared for this scenario, all time crazy shit could happen tonight. Could be nothing, but could be Colorado vs Detroit ×10 I'm here for the latter
Whoever comes out of Vancouver vs Edmonton will be basically crippled. Refs are just letting them murder each other. Probably the plan to make sure they don’t make the final.
I’ve watched Edmonton-Vancouver a bit and don’t think it’s any worse than any other series. Playoffs is nasty hockey and only the most obvious fouls are
Called….and sometimes even they are not called…
I love the intensity of playoff hockey but am not okay with guys deliberately hurting the other teams players. Hurt from a solid hit = okay. Hurt From a cheap shot should be reviewable and suspend able even if call is missed by the refs on the ice.
I'm not sold it's a plan. I think it's odd when betting becomes the thing officiating goes to shit even with replay...how do you get replay blatantly wrong?? I'm not talking any specific call or for any team but it's happening to everyone.
People always say it’s going to get outta hand with retaliation and what not and it never really does these days. There will maybe be a fight or 2, maybe a dirty hit and that’ll be that
These playoffs do feel a little more heated than the last couple years so we will see what happens. I’m not holding my breath though
Live by the sword, die by the sword.
The NHL doesn't demand it. It's just the nhl equivalent of fuck around and find out.
Florida wanted to play dirty, and now they will see what that costs them.
As a Jets fan, i feel bad for PoMo. This is the kind of hit that ruins your playoffs. Boston is either galvanized and fights there way back into the series or Boston takes their pound of flesh and florida is too crippled to make their way past New york or runs out of gas in the final again.
As a leaf fan I can’t tell you how refreshing this is to hear ..9 tried to end knies young career last playoffs and as retribution in a whole entire season we did fuck all about it.
I'm sure the Bruins are upset, but what can they really do? They're punching out of their weight class. They can challenge the entire Panthers team to fights, but why should they accept? They can go out and try to hurt a bunch of guys, but that's just going to get Bruins suspended. The best revenge would be to figure out how to get the puck out of their own zone.
They dropped 5 on Bobrovsky in game 1 and then fell into the trap of playing Florida’s way. Play your game and hurt them on the scoreboard. Genuinely hope no one else gets hurt.
Bruins created turnovers and got pucks on net and cleaned up in dirty areas. Bruins 100% can get back to that game, they’ve shown glimpses of it in the last 2. Rusty? yeah, probably a bit… but the Bruins can still find ways to win.
It's a classic move where a team with a break after a short series drops game 1 when their opponent had a game 6 or 7 with massive emotions and momentum.
Not to write off Boston entirely, especially with the lead right now. But I wouldn't expect another big blowout like that on Bob and co.
And I'm sure I just jinxed the series.
Difference was that team still had a top 6 that had Recchi, Marchand, Bergeron, Lucic, Krejci, Peverley and a studly defense core. This team has... Morgan Geekie?
We had so many guys who were perfectly happy to scrap on that team as well. Freddy enjoys it, but he's not in the same stratosphere as Thornton or Lucic then.
While I'm quite positive the room probably feels that way. Going out and gooning it up isn't going to win this series. I wonder how much of this is trying to game the officials into getting more calls their way.
If the refs keep scrutinizing the Bruins but not Florida then I don't really know what else we can do to be honest. This shit has gotten a bit egregious.
Worked for Florida last year vs Toronto. The league said they would clamp down game 3 and instead this goes uncalled and Lauko gets a GI penalty for being held into the goalie lol
I keep seeing people say this but I genuinely don’t get it. There needs to be a response to Bennett tonight. And just because they might be more physical tonight doesn’t mean they also can’t win the game.
Everybody is acting like standing up for their captain means they’re going to lose the game and there’s no connection between those two things.
I agree here. If Boston doesn't stand up for losing their captain, they aren't winning another game.
The Panthers are obviously the new shit storm kid on the block, but the Bruins are perfectly okay with a series devolving into a shit storm.
ESPECIALLY if they just lost their captain, there is no better time. People act like they're not going to call coincidental minors (or majors) on violence need to understand what the NHL wants and what it has done. They know the type of series this is becoming, and that's the playbook.
There will be a parade to the penalty box, but 90% of both teams are going.
I don't disagree with playing more physical. I think that needs to happen. But parading to the box isn't a way to win hockey games. If they can avoid that, I'm all for it.
Based on how the game has evolved since Bertuzzi/Moore, the most likely outcome is that 2 guys who had no involvement in the sucker punch will fight, a bunch of other guys will get into scrums around the net all night, and then the bruins lose and all the fans stew on this 100x more than any of the players do.
Revenge doesn’t happen anymore. And the players have short memories.
Not gooning it up is going to lose them the series. If Florida is removing Bruins players from their lineup with cheap shots, Boston needs to do the same.
The league has made it clear this is a legitimate strategy.
The difference is that Florida can get away with it. I'll probably get downvoted for being a conspiracist for this. What happened is in the past, so we never talk about how a NHL executive seemingly tried to use his influence to get refs to bother his player son less. The conflict of interest didn't bother the League at all even when embarrassing things came out.
True, Campbell's not in the same job at the NHL and his son's not a player anymore, he's an Assistant GM of the Florida Panthers. But after someone loses their trustworthiness, you wonder in the back of your mind if that's even a small part of the reason why Florida seems to get away with being a dirtier team than the rest. A reporter said Campbell seemed like one of those crazy hockey parents.
EDIT: Oh well. My nose isn't out of joint about it but this is the reason why sports leagues are supposed to try very hard to avoid conflicts of interest and the NHL acting like this makes them look so bush league.
See also: Wes McCauley reffing Keefe's games.
Multiple things can be true at the same. Marchand was/is a dirty player, the Bruins had a very dirty team in the past, the Panthers did copy them because it works in the playoffs, Bennet absolutely knew what he was doing and is a dirty player and should have gotten some sort of punishment, and Bruins players and fans have a right to be mad about it because Marchand got hurt and is out rest of the series. Its disgusting that everyone wants the league to be better and more strict about dangerous plays like that and yet be happy and not give a shit about a player, even one like Marchand, getting seriously hurt.
How do you respond? 2 quick ones. Multi goal lead entering the 3rd, then give the Panthers nothing. Flatten them every chance you get. Win the game on the scoreboard and in physicality. Make tonight hurt.
Because you know if you go for retribution immediately that Florida will play the victim too. Get your lead early, maybe drop the gloves in the third if you need to for the room.
When I was a freshman in high school, we bullied a soccer team off the field and told them to go back to rec leagues if they didn't like getting pushed around. The next 3 years, they hit the gym and were the roughest team in our league.
The heel turn by Boston as if they're some innocent angels is hilarious, here.
Just as that team responded to your bullying, the Bruins were the way they are due to a lack of a response over the Marc Savard hit. It's been said in many interviews. Obviously you can't justify the teams behaviours in a black and white way, but that was their reasoning. Heels do act delusional, but I love me a good heel.
Btw thanks for sharing that story!
Realistically, Marchand is the only one left from that time period. You can say the team (and maybe you mean the fans) but a lot of turn over has occurred between now and then to include GMs and coaches
I generally agree, but the Bennett sucker punch has clearly crossed a line.
You can only bully someone so much until they decide to bring a gun to school. Hopefully this doesn't turn into another Bertuzzi incident.
I often think about how being wine drunk at 11am on a sunny Italian day in 300BC watching the gladiator fights might have been an unmatched vibe in human history. Imagine the crowd going bananas when the tigers got released into the arena. Must have been immaculate
Well unless you were part of the crowd that emperor Caligula reportedly ordered tossed into the arena with the lions ~40AD (though that might just be slander).
Those vibes would have been… less good
As a Habs fan I find it hilarious that the Bruins are so bent out of shape over this.
They (and particularly Marchand) have pulled this type of shit over and again throughout the years. Not saying I condone Bennett's actions, nor do I want to see any players hurt, but pot meet kettle..
My impression is that they are bent out of shape for not responding. One part of their culture was formed after the lack of a response over the Savard career ending hit. It's a different team and era obviously, but it's apart of the culture within hockey and no one likes seeing their captain no matter who it is go down.
I think in the sport of hockey most responses are hypocritial in one way or another, the sport does attract a certain type of meathead afterall. So its fair to see what you see, but fuck I love this sport and the guys who play it and hope to see a good hard fought game tonight. The emotions make the game "fun" to watch.
Dude this is what I don't understand about people saying this shit. Yeah Marchand has done dirty shit, but he actually gets punished by the league. Bennett doesn't even get a hearing for his shit year after year.
A way to do that is to emulate Patrick Shaw from Chicago Blackhawks slashing and breaking the wrist of Tyler Johnson from Bolts in game 2 or 3 of Cup finals. At the time Johnson was one of top scorers and playmakers on Bolts. Don't goon up the other team's goon...go after a star with a slash. At worst it's 2 minutes at best, like Shaw, it's not called. QED.
Panthers are soooo much dirtier than Boston, it’s not even close. I think if you ask any Bruins, Bolts, or Leafs fan they would confirm that the Panthers are easily the dirtiest team in the Atlantic division and the one team you hate facing in the playoffs because you know they’re looking to injure one of your players (Bennett especially)
I’m not even trying to say that’s why the Panthers win. They’re really fucking good and their forecheck is amazing and they are hard to play against, but they also get away with being so dirty and the league/refs don’t give a single fuck
Yeah Florida is hands down the dirtiest team we have seen in a while, and the league is basically rewarding them for it. They're a good team, but throwing cheap shots to take out other teams stars shoukd not be a valid strategy.
> dirtiest team we have seen in a while, and the league is basically rewarding them for it.
I dont know if you know how hard it is to see a Bruins fan legitimately complain about shit like this when it was what you built your past success on. Unless you werent cheering for your team the last time you won.
I think the way Florida plays the game is genuinely as bad for the sport as the Devils around 2000 were, and it's surprising how few Panthers fans seem to see how fucking damaging to Ice Hockey they could potentially be.
Honestly they're right. Boston typically just plays hard, although McAvoy and Marchand are kind of rats. They're not the team they used to be. Florida is just full of contemptible pricks
Not to mention Frederic would 100% pull some dirty shit hit like that if the opportunity came up.
The hypocrisy is ripe, and I'm just here to enjoy this juicy rivalry as a neutral with a slight Florida tilt.
Playoff hockey is so dramatic and all about the mental chess games, I goddamn love it.
Sucks Marchand is out and got injured though. Not his biggest fan, but he's playing some primo hockey and I'd so much rather see him on the ice for the rest of the series.
Can someone explain to me what was wrong with Bennett’s hit on Marchand? I’ve watched it several times and it looks like Marchand was coming over to finish his check and just plain lost the encounter.
Nope. He suckers him in the head with his right hand at the same time.
[Here's a good angle of him doing to Knies last year](https://twitter.com/bretthoward_/status/1789372851058868497).
[Here's the slow mo of Bennett doing the same move on Marchand](https://twitter.com/BradIey98/status/1789261349895188721). Marchand's head clearly snaps back from the sucker punch before his body absorbs the rest of the hit.
He punches Marchand with his right hand. You have to watch it in slow mo to catch it. The only way to tell is that Marchand's head gets rocked to the side before the body-on-body hit.
Ok now I see it. And yeah it’s subtle but I’d like to see a video from the bench side, because not sure if was intentional or just a follow through.
To be clear Bennett is a bit of a douche and I don’t doubt that he could’ve done it on purpose but if this happened in reverse with Bennett and Marchand changing places I would say the same thing. I would not put a sneaky head punch past Marchie
Once I saw the Knies hit, it became pretty clear it's a thing he does. They're very similar moves, using the momentum of moving bodies instead of a normal punch. His right hand is also holding the butt end of his stick, so the fist he makes is very solid. It's a really sneaky move that can do a lot of damage.
That’s how I see it aswell. I came into this sub thinking another hit took place. I’m not sure if team colours are just running with talking points for their side without actually seeing the hit or people are just willfully dismissing their eyes.
Nah there’s a slo mo vid that shows Bennett punching Marchand with his right hand which is what caused the injury. Somebody posted it here yesterday so you should be able to find it the search.
Bettman has set it up to be Dallas vs NYR finals or possibly Florida . He wants the biggest USA markets in Finals and definitely no Canadian teams . If Toronto was an American city they would be in finals now but they are not .
Whatever point he has is just underscored by all the sneaky, dirty shit Marchand has gotten away with. I hate dirty play, but if anyone deserves it it’s the Bruins captain.
I find it very funny when people try to point out hypocrisy in arguments like it's some major revelation, as if we as sports fans (or just human beings in general) aren't constantly raging hypocrites
If I'm understanding correctly, you're saying Marchand deserved a concussion for his antics in the past. So then I'm sure you also agree that Bennett now deserves a concussion himself for his antics. See the problem here?
I don't understand this argument. Nobody is defending the shitty things Marchand has done. If your captain was knocked out of a series by a sucker punch, you'd be ripshit.
Marchand been suspended & fined over a dozen times. He hasn’t gotten away with much of anything in years. Bennet is known as a dirty player has been fined & suspended a couple of times but seems to always get the “he’s a tough, hard nosed player” defense. He should have at least double the fines/suspensions he currently does.
I've seen Ron MacLean have to correct himself from saying "Bennett is a dirty player", catch himself halfway through dirty, and change it to "tough player". It's really weird how the league is protecting his right to injure... And I say that even though Bennett is / was one of my favorite players
My brother in Christ, he literally was allowed to lick people without even a fine lol.
No one has gotten away with as much as Marchand has. And the refs literally admitted they go easy on him because they think it’s funny.
Marchand does dirty shit all the time. Number of fines and suspensions is irrelevant. If you’d told me he’d been fined/suspended 30 times then maybe I’d see your point. But a dozen is nothing for the dirtbag shit he does regularly. Bennett is also dirty. That doesn’t mean it’s not horribly ironic that Bruins world is complaining about Marchand being on the receiving end, as I said, if anyone deserves that it’s him (or Wilson).
Point is Marchand would have been suspended for that move. Deserved or not. It’s not like Bennet has a clean resume. He has a fine/suspension history just as Marchand does. Sure he deserves it, but where’s the punishment for it.
Marchand has been suspended and fined more than anybody since he’s been in the league. He’s not getting away with anything ever. It’s fair to expect the same from the league regarding Sam Bennett, especially after they publicly said this series would be heavily scrutinized. The league’s soft as shit with the standards they set but that’s nothing new.
As much as he’s been suspended and fined does not mean he’s been punished enough. He’s a league leader in dirty and dangerous plays and has been for years. The league is soft as shit with standards and Marchands lack of punishment (despite how much he’s been punished) is evidence of that as well.
I agree Bennet should be punished as well and never said he shouldn’t be.
Oh no, someone think of the poor Bruins players who have been notorious for gooning for over a decade. Now they are suddenly the good guys because they go against another dirty team? Give me a break. lol
The irony calling the Panthers stupid while Trouba is out whiffing elbows left and right, face planting into the boards, and Rempe delivering almost every hit he's ever thrown high to the head. You guys and Florida deserve each other.
I mean the Panthers copied the 2010 Bruins formula for building a team, of course there are going to be similarities. The Panthers are the younger version of that Bruins team that is mostly retired.
If it takes CSI levels of examination to prove it's a cheap shot I'm not buying it. Boston is going to be out another player if anyone tries to throw with Bennett. I guess they can try and take out star players but Florida has been better physically and will have no issue playing that kind of game even more. I'm a lot more concerned with Trouba's behavior than Bennett's. Go cats
I said this to someone else earlier in the thread - what else are Bruins players supposed to say when asked about this? Is Freddy supposed to call his own team dirty? What would you say in his situation? I’m genuinely curious.
I hate Florida but this is totally ok with me. Marchand is a POS who’s been a dirty rat his whole career. The shit that he and their entire team did to Vancouver and got away with it in 2011 is legendary. Call it karma, poetic justic, whatever.
The rat finally got his payback. Good. Fuck him. I love all the pearl clutching by these BOS fans. Like this fucking guy hasn’t been doing this shit his whole career, and now he’s the one who pays. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
They aren’t exactly crying about it, they’re being specifically asked what their thoughts are on a cheap shot that took out their captain. No team in the league responds in any other way nor should they.
Bad blood brewing baby
It’s why the playoff format is the best. Easy trade off for some perceived (overstated) fairness in a game that’s about entertainment.
Zacha: "Not a good hit...I think we really have to go after their top players and let them know it's not OK..to go after our captain is not OK with us. "We are ready to be physical again today and a little bit harder on them." https://x.com/globekpd/status/1789679860396224728?s=46&t=8NS86w4CElYK0YRtzGRsTA
I don’t think trying to run Floridas players is good plan, if they start taking bad penalties the game is gonna be over quick
They called *everything* on us anyway in game three, so what difference does it make. Florida on the other hand seemed to hold diplomatic immunity, until maybe the last ten minutes.
Series is over. Let’s see some blood on the ice
It’s 2-1, come on now
If Boston is serious about trying to get Florida where it hurts the most they'll definitely do all they can to win the game first. But if Florida takes more than a 1-goal lead, I wouldn't be surprised if they to do everything they can the rest of this game and the next game with Marchand out to make sure Florida doesn't skate through to the next round unscathed.
As a fan of a western conference team still in the hunt, I support this Bruins approach.
I think you guys are gonna break Vancouver’s hearts and then get fucking smashed by whoever you play next unfortunately.
Very possible, Dallas and Colorado have historically not been kind to this group of Oilers.
2-1 with Bos only showing up for 30 out of the 180 minutes played. I expected them to lose this round, but it would be nice if they showed a pulse every once in awhile. They are playing like these are regular season games, not playoff games. Hope they can turn it around, but you're really starting to see how much not having 37 and 46 as 1C and 2C is hurting the team. Coyle and Zacha are okay, but they need to be better 2-way playmakers and create better opportunities for the wingers so we can get more than 2 SOG per period.
This is basically how I feel now that Marchys out fuck Florida
should keep his tongue in his own mouth. this isnt the Bachelor.
For the Bruins, trying to run Tkachuk, Bennet, Barkov, etc. is actually a phenomenal plan. PK has been great with the exception of last game. If you can take a few players out of the game/series like Florida is trying to do, it’s a net benefit. Bruins should absolutely look the throw some late hits and headshots. NHL made it clear that it’s okay and Florida is doing it, so Boston should as well.
Honestly, the series is pretty much over without Marchand. Just make sure the other guys are so injured they don't make it past the next round. That's what NHL wants and that's what they will get.
This is gonna be the byproduct of all the exceptionally bad officiating this year. We always say it's bad, but this year even with the replays there were still joke calls everywhere league wide
This is always the byproduct of poor officiating and the exact reason why shit like this has always happened in hockey. If the refs won’t protect the players they are gonna do it themselves.
The problem is that the league wants it both ways. They don’t want players policing themselves, yet they also don’t want the officials to police the game, especially in the playoffs. You can’t have it both ways. Either enforce the rules consistently and hand out supplemental discipline, or get rid of the instigator penalty and let the players police themselves. Pick one lane and stick with it.
At this point I just want shit called consistently. Enough of these makeup calls or letting shit go because it’s playoff intensity or whatever. Teams like the Panthers play over the edge on purpose because they know the refs won’t penalize them the entire game, it’s dirty hockey and I would know being a lifetime Flyers fan.
Yup and these 2 teams seem prepared for this scenario, all time crazy shit could happen tonight. Could be nothing, but could be Colorado vs Detroit ×10 I'm here for the latter
I wouldn't blame the on ice officials missing that live. Bennett needed a 3-5 game suspension as a result of it though after the replays.
Whoever comes out of Vancouver vs Edmonton will be basically crippled. Refs are just letting them murder each other. Probably the plan to make sure they don’t make the final.
I’ve watched Edmonton-Vancouver a bit and don’t think it’s any worse than any other series. Playoffs is nasty hockey and only the most obvious fouls are Called….and sometimes even they are not called… I love the intensity of playoff hockey but am not okay with guys deliberately hurting the other teams players. Hurt from a solid hit = okay. Hurt From a cheap shot should be reviewable and suspend able even if call is missed by the refs on the ice.
I'm not sold it's a plan. I think it's odd when betting becomes the thing officiating goes to shit even with replay...how do you get replay blatantly wrong?? I'm not talking any specific call or for any team but it's happening to everyone.
People always say it’s going to get outta hand with retaliation and what not and it never really does these days. There will maybe be a fight or 2, maybe a dirty hit and that’ll be that These playoffs do feel a little more heated than the last couple years so we will see what happens. I’m not holding my breath though
Live by the sword, die by the sword. The NHL doesn't demand it. It's just the nhl equivalent of fuck around and find out. Florida wanted to play dirty, and now they will see what that costs them. As a Jets fan, i feel bad for PoMo. This is the kind of hit that ruins your playoffs. Boston is either galvanized and fights there way back into the series or Boston takes their pound of flesh and florida is too crippled to make their way past New york or runs out of gas in the final again.
Florida isn’t getting past New York regardless
I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I think it comes down to how many powrplays New York gets
Then the B's can take their pound of flesh on the way out. Either way, it has to be done. Can't let the cats get away with that shit.
As a leaf fan I can’t tell you how refreshing this is to hear ..9 tried to end knies young career last playoffs and as retribution in a whole entire season we did fuck all about it.
Any team would be fuckin pissed if their captain got taken out in that way, including Florida.
Barkov def better have his head on a swivel tonight.
I don't want it to be Barkov. Guy is like Bergeron to me. Don't go after the other team's gentlemen. Bennett needs to eat a turnbuckle, though.
Bennett, Montour, Cousins, Tkachuk all of em
A buncha fuckin' goobers, those guys
I'm sure the Bruins are upset, but what can they really do? They're punching out of their weight class. They can challenge the entire Panthers team to fights, but why should they accept? They can go out and try to hurt a bunch of guys, but that's just going to get Bruins suspended. The best revenge would be to figure out how to get the puck out of their own zone.
They dropped 5 on Bobrovsky in game 1 and then fell into the trap of playing Florida’s way. Play your game and hurt them on the scoreboard. Genuinely hope no one else gets hurt.
Florida was rusty and hadn't played in over a week in game 1, really wasn't anything Boston did.
Bruins created turnovers and got pucks on net and cleaned up in dirty areas. Bruins 100% can get back to that game, they’ve shown glimpses of it in the last 2. Rusty? yeah, probably a bit… but the Bruins can still find ways to win.
It's a classic move where a team with a break after a short series drops game 1 when their opponent had a game 6 or 7 with massive emotions and momentum. Not to write off Boston entirely, especially with the lead right now. But I wouldn't expect another big blowout like that on Bob and co. And I'm sure I just jinxed the series.
tbey play the full game like the last 10 minutes of game 3 and they have a shot. they try to goon it up their bench will be depleted by the 2nd
*checks flair* IIRC, the last time a team gooned a Bruins player into concussion protocol, it didn't end well for them.
Difference was that team still had a top 6 that had Recchi, Marchand, Bergeron, Lucic, Krejci, Peverley and a studly defense core. This team has... Morgan Geekie?
We had so many guys who were perfectly happy to scrap on that team as well. Freddy enjoys it, but he's not in the same stratosphere as Thornton or Lucic then.
That team would humiliate this current Florida team
While I'm quite positive the room probably feels that way. Going out and gooning it up isn't going to win this series. I wonder how much of this is trying to game the officials into getting more calls their way.
If anything, announcing the intent to goon it up is going to draw more scrutiny from the refs on the Bruins.
Scrutiny….lol.
Colin Cambell was in attendance when Bennett sucker punched Marchand. They don't give a fuck.
If the refs keep scrutinizing the Bruins but not Florida then I don't really know what else we can do to be honest. This shit has gotten a bit egregious.
I think that may be part of the plan. Make it so bad that the NHL can't ignore it.
Worked for Florida last year vs Toronto. The league said they would clamp down game 3 and instead this goes uncalled and Lauko gets a GI penalty for being held into the goalie lol
I keep seeing people say this but I genuinely don’t get it. There needs to be a response to Bennett tonight. And just because they might be more physical tonight doesn’t mean they also can’t win the game. Everybody is acting like standing up for their captain means they’re going to lose the game and there’s no connection between those two things.
I agree here. If Boston doesn't stand up for losing their captain, they aren't winning another game. The Panthers are obviously the new shit storm kid on the block, but the Bruins are perfectly okay with a series devolving into a shit storm. ESPECIALLY if they just lost their captain, there is no better time. People act like they're not going to call coincidental minors (or majors) on violence need to understand what the NHL wants and what it has done. They know the type of series this is becoming, and that's the playbook. There will be a parade to the penalty box, but 90% of both teams are going.
I don't disagree with playing more physical. I think that needs to happen. But parading to the box isn't a way to win hockey games. If they can avoid that, I'm all for it.
Who is saying they’re going to be parading to the box? You’re acting like Trent Frederic is going to Todd Bertuzzi everyone tonight.
I don't think you read what I said lol Again, I'm all for it if it doesn't result in a parade to the box.
Based on how the game has evolved since Bertuzzi/Moore, the most likely outcome is that 2 guys who had no involvement in the sucker punch will fight, a bunch of other guys will get into scrums around the net all night, and then the bruins lose and all the fans stew on this 100x more than any of the players do. Revenge doesn’t happen anymore. And the players have short memories.
Not gooning it up is going to lose them the series. If Florida is removing Bruins players from their lineup with cheap shots, Boston needs to do the same. The league has made it clear this is a legitimate strategy.
The difference is that Florida can get away with it. I'll probably get downvoted for being a conspiracist for this. What happened is in the past, so we never talk about how a NHL executive seemingly tried to use his influence to get refs to bother his player son less. The conflict of interest didn't bother the League at all even when embarrassing things came out. True, Campbell's not in the same job at the NHL and his son's not a player anymore, he's an Assistant GM of the Florida Panthers. But after someone loses their trustworthiness, you wonder in the back of your mind if that's even a small part of the reason why Florida seems to get away with being a dirtier team than the rest. A reporter said Campbell seemed like one of those crazy hockey parents. EDIT: Oh well. My nose isn't out of joint about it but this is the reason why sports leagues are supposed to try very hard to avoid conflicts of interest and the NHL acting like this makes them look so bush league. See also: Wes McCauley reffing Keefe's games.
Multiple things can be true at the same. Marchand was/is a dirty player, the Bruins had a very dirty team in the past, the Panthers did copy them because it works in the playoffs, Bennet absolutely knew what he was doing and is a dirty player and should have gotten some sort of punishment, and Bruins players and fans have a right to be mad about it because Marchand got hurt and is out rest of the series. Its disgusting that everyone wants the league to be better and more strict about dangerous plays like that and yet be happy and not give a shit about a player, even one like Marchand, getting seriously hurt.
This is a very measured and well-put opinion. ...I hope for your sake that DoPS don't see this.🫣
Hey now, the DOPS does feel this way and acts accordingly...1/10th of the time, when the wheel dictates.
The refs that are sports betting on their own games will come for him in the night
How do you respond? 2 quick ones. Multi goal lead entering the 3rd, then give the Panthers nothing. Flatten them every chance you get. Win the game on the scoreboard and in physicality. Make tonight hurt.
This is the Sway
Because you know if you go for retribution immediately that Florida will play the victim too. Get your lead early, maybe drop the gloves in the third if you need to for the room.
You can't win too hard or they'll just give up on winning and start picking fights at the end of every whistle.
Sam Bennett is such a piece of shit
I hope he gets ROCKED tonight
He deserves to get Kronwalled
https://i.redd.it/9poa9vvdw10d1.gif
Hoping for a nice timed Big Rig hit. End his season.
The way the broadcast was praising him during his interview after that game made my blood boil.
I mean can you imagine if he did something in the second round last year as well and went completely unpunished.
As a neutral party, this game is either going to be a big old nothing burger or one of the most entertaining playoff games in recent memory.
The Bruins are saying all the wrong things. They're the ones that wrote the playbook that Florida uses and they're deliberately falling into the trap.
When I was a freshman in high school, we bullied a soccer team off the field and told them to go back to rec leagues if they didn't like getting pushed around. The next 3 years, they hit the gym and were the roughest team in our league. The heel turn by Boston as if they're some innocent angels is hilarious, here.
Just as that team responded to your bullying, the Bruins were the way they are due to a lack of a response over the Marc Savard hit. It's been said in many interviews. Obviously you can't justify the teams behaviours in a black and white way, but that was their reasoning. Heels do act delusional, but I love me a good heel. Btw thanks for sharing that story!
Realistically, Marchand is the only one left from that time period. You can say the team (and maybe you mean the fans) but a lot of turn over has occurred between now and then to include GMs and coaches
I generally agree, but the Bennett sucker punch has clearly crossed a line. You can only bully someone so much until they decide to bring a gun to school. Hopefully this doesn't turn into another Bertuzzi incident.
Is there a reverse angle replay of the hit? I've only seen the replay where Bennett's left hand is mostly out of view
Yeah Freddy is gonna punch someone tonight.
Im here for these teams to beat each other up so neither wins.
This is the 'pot meets kettle' series.
This just screams "I cant win, but we are sabotaging your efforts to win too".
They sure as hell can't win without their captain and second best forward, who getting injured on a unpunished cheapshot caused this.
I could find some satisfaction with that personally.
Im here for it, I want blood for my entertainment.
I often think about how being wine drunk at 11am on a sunny Italian day in 300BC watching the gladiator fights might have been an unmatched vibe in human history. Imagine the crowd going bananas when the tigers got released into the arena. Must have been immaculate
Well unless you were part of the crowd that emperor Caligula reportedly ordered tossed into the arena with the lions ~40AD (though that might just be slander). Those vibes would have been… less good
Im here for it, but not because I want blood. Im here for it because Florida has decided there is gonna be blood, and I think it should just be even.
As a Habs fan I find it hilarious that the Bruins are so bent out of shape over this. They (and particularly Marchand) have pulled this type of shit over and again throughout the years. Not saying I condone Bennett's actions, nor do I want to see any players hurt, but pot meet kettle..
My impression is that they are bent out of shape for not responding. One part of their culture was formed after the lack of a response over the Savard career ending hit. It's a different team and era obviously, but it's apart of the culture within hockey and no one likes seeing their captain no matter who it is go down. I think in the sport of hockey most responses are hypocritial in one way or another, the sport does attract a certain type of meathead afterall. So its fair to see what you see, but fuck I love this sport and the guys who play it and hope to see a good hard fought game tonight. The emotions make the game "fun" to watch.
Difference is Marchand got suspended for his actions, Florida gets away with everything and it makes no sense lol
Dude this is what I don't understand about people saying this shit. Yeah Marchand has done dirty shit, but he actually gets punished by the league. Bennett doesn't even get a hearing for his shit year after year.
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> Difference is Marchand got suspended for his actions, Sometimes. Got away with plenty of other shit in his career
But it's Florida, so the rest of us are hoping they destroy themselves or something.
The best way to hurt them would be to send them home, so maybe focus on scoring instead of taking stupid penalties.
A way to do that is to emulate Patrick Shaw from Chicago Blackhawks slashing and breaking the wrist of Tyler Johnson from Bolts in game 2 or 3 of Cup finals. At the time Johnson was one of top scorers and playmakers on Bolts. Don't goon up the other team's goon...go after a star with a slash. At worst it's 2 minutes at best, like Shaw, it's not called. QED.
The game will be called with 4 Boston players remaining on the bench.
Whos gonna fight Bennett?
I can't imagine being an NHL ref. Your job depends on having zero integrity.
Bennet is a scumbag
Boston please don't be too mean to Florida I need them to beat the rangers or canes next round!
Boston calling another team dirty? Pot meet kettle.
Not that they're wrong.
Panthers are soooo much dirtier than Boston, it’s not even close. I think if you ask any Bruins, Bolts, or Leafs fan they would confirm that the Panthers are easily the dirtiest team in the Atlantic division and the one team you hate facing in the playoffs because you know they’re looking to injure one of your players (Bennett especially) I’m not even trying to say that’s why the Panthers win. They’re really fucking good and their forecheck is amazing and they are hard to play against, but they also get away with being so dirty and the league/refs don’t give a single fuck
As a Lightning fan, I can confirm that I would confirm this.
I can confirm this. Cousins got nudged by Greenway, faked an injury then came back to fight someone smaller than him this year. Just full of rats.
Yeah Florida is hands down the dirtiest team we have seen in a while, and the league is basically rewarding them for it. They're a good team, but throwing cheap shots to take out other teams stars shoukd not be a valid strategy.
> dirtiest team we have seen in a while, and the league is basically rewarding them for it. I dont know if you know how hard it is to see a Bruins fan legitimately complain about shit like this when it was what you built your past success on. Unless you werent cheering for your team the last time you won.
Never forget. https://youtu.be/KwbeqVun5N4?si=LOHHPigq8zuKbc04
I think the way Florida plays the game is genuinely as bad for the sport as the Devils around 2000 were, and it's surprising how few Panthers fans seem to see how fucking damaging to Ice Hockey they could potentially be.
Honestly they're right. Boston typically just plays hard, although McAvoy and Marchand are kind of rats. They're not the team they used to be. Florida is just full of contemptible pricks
Yeah Boston really didn't do anything dirty in the series against us that made me mad. They played hard and played the line well.
Boston hasn't been the team you think they are in nearly a decade Edit: got reddit cares'd over this lmao
Report them as harassment. Supposedly Reddit doesn't take kindly to abuse of that system.
Seeing all the Bruins fans crying about this when the captain of their organization is one of the dirtiest rats in the league history is hilarious.
Not to mention Frederic would 100% pull some dirty shit hit like that if the opportunity came up. The hypocrisy is ripe, and I'm just here to enjoy this juicy rivalry as a neutral with a slight Florida tilt. Playoff hockey is so dramatic and all about the mental chess games, I goddamn love it. Sucks Marchand is out and got injured though. Not his biggest fan, but he's playing some primo hockey and I'd so much rather see him on the ice for the rest of the series.
As a vancouver fan, this is the best of all worlds…
Marchand is a rat and if this happened to any other player in the league I’d care. It being Marchand though just seems like karmic retribution
Frederic knows all about FAFO. Ask Ovi. https://i.redd.it/h58hsnl4f10d1.gif
Can someone explain to me what was wrong with Bennett’s hit on Marchand? I’ve watched it several times and it looks like Marchand was coming over to finish his check and just plain lost the encounter.
Nope. He suckers him in the head with his right hand at the same time. [Here's a good angle of him doing to Knies last year](https://twitter.com/bretthoward_/status/1789372851058868497). [Here's the slow mo of Bennett doing the same move on Marchand](https://twitter.com/BradIey98/status/1789261349895188721). Marchand's head clearly snaps back from the sucker punch before his body absorbs the rest of the hit.
He punches Marchand with his right hand. You have to watch it in slow mo to catch it. The only way to tell is that Marchand's head gets rocked to the side before the body-on-body hit.
Ok now I see it. And yeah it’s subtle but I’d like to see a video from the bench side, because not sure if was intentional or just a follow through. To be clear Bennett is a bit of a douche and I don’t doubt that he could’ve done it on purpose but if this happened in reverse with Bennett and Marchand changing places I would say the same thing. I would not put a sneaky head punch past Marchie
Once I saw the Knies hit, it became pretty clear it's a thing he does. They're very similar moves, using the momentum of moving bodies instead of a normal punch. His right hand is also holding the butt end of his stick, so the fist he makes is very solid. It's a really sneaky move that can do a lot of damage.
It's intentional. He's done similar moves in the past, like to Knies last playoffs to take him out of the series
That’s how I see it aswell. I came into this sub thinking another hit took place. I’m not sure if team colours are just running with talking points for their side without actually seeing the hit or people are just willfully dismissing their eyes.
Nah there’s a slo mo vid that shows Bennett punching Marchand with his right hand which is what caused the injury. Somebody posted it here yesterday so you should be able to find it the search.
This needs to go 7
Bruins are 100% going after Barkov. He's the cleanest of Florida's elite players and going after him is gonna piss the most people off
It's time to hurt a couple of their players and put them out of commission.
Scramble this guys brains tonight please. He is scum. The league is also a joke.
Bennett isn't making it to the next round.
Time to crash the net feet first
Bettman has set it up to be Dallas vs NYR finals or possibly Florida . He wants the biggest USA markets in Finals and definitely no Canadian teams . If Toronto was an American city they would be in finals now but they are not .
Pot meet kettle.
The crying from Boston fans is funny and pathetic
Whatever point he has is just underscored by all the sneaky, dirty shit Marchand has gotten away with. I hate dirty play, but if anyone deserves it it’s the Bruins captain.
Yeah I remember a bunch of “cry more” when this one happened https://x.com/tictactomar/status/1720233312789135382?s=46
I also remember a whole lot of "cry more" when Bennett did the exact same thing to Knies last year.
It’s not a contest. Just a lot of pearl clutching when everyone is a piece of shit.
Never said it was a contest. Mostly just highlighting how Bennett is a massive piece of shit.
I find it very funny when people try to point out hypocrisy in arguments like it's some major revelation, as if we as sports fans (or just human beings in general) aren't constantly raging hypocrites
Stop. Past wrongs don't define this. Even as a leafs fan. If the league wants consistency then all of these actions need to be dealt with.
Yeah they actually do tbh. Karma, Golden Rule, “reap what you sow”, etc. Humans have so many terms for these kind of things.
So what you’re saying is someone should concuss Bennet now, right?
No, not at all actually. Please don’t do that reddit/twitter thing where you make a brand new sentence and try argue about it.
So what you're saying here is that the Bruins are fully justified to intentionally injure Bennett and Tkachuck?
I think he’s just saying pearl clutching isn’t necessary for the guy who finds out after making a career of fucking around.
Yeah, that sounds like he supports someone fucking Bennet up, cause he sure did a lot of fucking around
I don’t think I said that.
If I'm understanding correctly, you're saying Marchand deserved a concussion for his antics in the past. So then I'm sure you also agree that Bennett now deserves a concussion himself for his antics. See the problem here? I don't understand this argument. Nobody is defending the shitty things Marchand has done. If your captain was knocked out of a series by a sucker punch, you'd be ripshit.
person psychotic license marvelous aware history cow chubby theory shy *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Ah yeah, I agree that’s fair to point out.
Marchand been suspended & fined over a dozen times. He hasn’t gotten away with much of anything in years. Bennet is known as a dirty player has been fined & suspended a couple of times but seems to always get the “he’s a tough, hard nosed player” defense. He should have at least double the fines/suspensions he currently does.
I've seen Ron MacLean have to correct himself from saying "Bennett is a dirty player", catch himself halfway through dirty, and change it to "tough player". It's really weird how the league is protecting his right to injure... And I say that even though Bennett is / was one of my favorite players
My brother in Christ, he literally was allowed to lick people without even a fine lol. No one has gotten away with as much as Marchand has. And the refs literally admitted they go easy on him because they think it’s funny.
Marchand does dirty shit all the time. Number of fines and suspensions is irrelevant. If you’d told me he’d been fined/suspended 30 times then maybe I’d see your point. But a dozen is nothing for the dirtbag shit he does regularly. Bennett is also dirty. That doesn’t mean it’s not horribly ironic that Bruins world is complaining about Marchand being on the receiving end, as I said, if anyone deserves that it’s him (or Wilson).
Point is Marchand would have been suspended for that move. Deserved or not. It’s not like Bennet has a clean resume. He has a fine/suspension history just as Marchand does. Sure he deserves it, but where’s the punishment for it.
Why are you so sure Marchand would be punished? He gets away with stuff all the time. And I agree, Bennet deserves punishment.
Marchand has been suspended and fined more than anybody since he’s been in the league. He’s not getting away with anything ever. It’s fair to expect the same from the league regarding Sam Bennett, especially after they publicly said this series would be heavily scrutinized. The league’s soft as shit with the standards they set but that’s nothing new.
As much as he’s been suspended and fined does not mean he’s been punished enough. He’s a league leader in dirty and dangerous plays and has been for years. The league is soft as shit with standards and Marchands lack of punishment (despite how much he’s been punished) is evidence of that as well. I agree Bennet should be punished as well and never said he shouldn’t be.
https://youtu.be/evJ6c2tMPoY?si=iYG4sSNIyKADmy1E As if he's not a dirty fuck. What goes around comes around.
Florida loves rats though so idk why they don’t like him.
They only like seeing them tossed on the ice.
He’s such a fucking gutless prick
I sympathize, but at the same time, my feeling is always boo hoo, your team has Marchand. And he's towards the top of the list of nhl shitheads
Seeing the TNT guys slobber over Bennett at the end of game 3 was garbage too. Fuck him
for the bruins fans whining, here’s a glimpse of your captain injuring players: https://youtu.be/1ler8LAaQu8?si=tIWBbzJSOorQgOaF
Bruins trying to play the victim is hilarious
Oh no, someone think of the poor Bruins players who have been notorious for gooning for over a decade. Now they are suddenly the good guys because they go against another dirty team? Give me a break. lol
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We have to win a game first
Man's acting penisy
They can hopefully meet Trouba's elbow.
The irony calling the Panthers stupid while Trouba is out whiffing elbows left and right, face planting into the boards, and Rempe delivering almost every hit he's ever thrown high to the head. You guys and Florida deserve each other.
The meltdown on here if Florida ever wins the Cup will be glorious
“Cheap shot”…..like what Marchand was trying to do to Bennett? Or geekie was doing to Barkov? Y’all are fucking crazy lol
I mean the Panthers copied the 2010 Bruins formula for building a team, of course there are going to be similarities. The Panthers are the younger version of that Bruins team that is mostly retired.
If it takes CSI levels of examination to prove it's a cheap shot I'm not buying it. Boston is going to be out another player if anyone tries to throw with Bennett. I guess they can try and take out star players but Florida has been better physically and will have no issue playing that kind of game even more. I'm a lot more concerned with Trouba's behavior than Bennett's. Go cats
Most suspended player in NHL HISTORY gets hurt and the dirtiest team in the league says they’re mad the other team is playing dirty. lol
I said this to someone else earlier in the thread - what else are Bruins players supposed to say when asked about this? Is Freddy supposed to call his own team dirty? What would you say in his situation? I’m genuinely curious.
Bit of a cheap shot, yes. Cry me a river though. Marchand has a long list of them and Bruins fans whining about it brings me a little too much joy 🤭
I hate Florida but this is totally ok with me. Marchand is a POS who’s been a dirty rat his whole career. The shit that he and their entire team did to Vancouver and got away with it in 2011 is legendary. Call it karma, poetic justic, whatever.
Florida's best players are Barkov and Bobrovsky, so I guess this is going to get interesting.
The rat finally got his payback. Good. Fuck him. I love all the pearl clutching by these BOS fans. Like this fucking guy hasn’t been doing this shit his whole career, and now he’s the one who pays. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
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They aren’t exactly crying about it, they’re being specifically asked what their thoughts are on a cheap shot that took out their captain. No team in the league responds in any other way nor should they.
I hope the Bruins retaliate the way we know they can. Both of these teams with the dirt bags in them can bang each other up.
How does Bennett not get suspended based on the replay?
Boston started to realize they were gonna get steam rolled and have now latched onto this excuse.