A year ago, both were among the top three in voting for the Hart Trophy, the NHL’s most prestigious award given to the NHL’s most valuable regular season player. But Edmonton captain Connor McDavid blew away the prize, who collected 1,951 points, Pastrňák was second with 1,053 and Tkachuk was third with 741.
But the rivalry between Boston and Florida gained momentum in the last playoffs, where the Bruins, as the biggest favorites, were eliminated in a seven-game series in the opening round, while the Panthers reached the finals. And Tkachuk played a vital role in that. Unsettled accounts between the two teams also sharpen this year’s playoffs.
Clip of the Florida – Boston matchVideo: nhl.com
Boston initially won in Sunrise 5:1, but in the second game they had to overcome a 1:6 defeat. And it went hard. It was very surprising that Pastrňák, who had only once committed to a bigger fight during his overseas career, would drop the gloves. Unlike Tkachuk, who already has a total of 25 records on his fight card in the NHL.
“I asked him if he was going to do it. He replied that we will do it in the next match. And I said: Maybe we could right now,” Tkachuk described. “He just said: Well, let’s go to the next shift. He has my utmost respect for that. Two players, who are known mainly for their offense, got into each other. We were both Hart Trophy finalists, for me it’s cool to see something like that in the playoffs.”
But the skirmish was relatively one-sided. Pastrňák missed and was not able to properly catch his opponent. He then took shots from Tkachuk even though he was no longer standing, which didn’t sit well with Bruins coach Jim Montgomery.
“I’d do anything for my teammates,” said Pasta, who wanted to heat up Boston’s bench ahead of the home rematch at TD Garden. The third match is played on Saturday night (from 1:00 CEST), and it is already clear who will be the No. 1 enemy for the spectators.
“There’s a lot of energy and emotion in it. It’s already an excellent series and we have a great match ahead of us,” said Tkachuk. Even with another battle of the stars?
