Talking Points: Bruins Tame Undisciplined Panthers 6-2

The Florida Panthers unraveled, and the Boston Bruins capitalized in a 6-2 win in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Bruins can now clinch the series at home in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

GOLD STAR: While Linus Ullmark (43 saves) definitely was worthy of the Gold Star, or Honorable Mention here, Boston Bruins winger Taylor Hall is en fuego, and becoming a major factor in the Bruins’ playoff run. As written here on Saturday, the 31-year-old has found his stride, and that was on display in Game 4. Hall scored the final two goals of the game and had two assists. He now has five goals and three assists in his last three games.

Taylor Hall are you kidding?! 🥵 pic.twitter.com/Lk2r0Dj5jm

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 23, 2023

BLACK EYE: In this scribe’s humble opinion, Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk should finish third behind David Pastrnak and the easiest vote ever for the Hart Trophy, Connor McDavid. That said, he may be the dirtiest player this 48-year-old has covered or watched as a fan since Matt Cooke. I’d even put Tkachuk in the dirty elite category of Claude Lemieux and Ulf Samuelsson. His cowardly cross-check to the kidneys of a defenseless Garnet Hathaway down on the ice was an insult to the game, as will be any lack of supplemental discipline from the NHL Department of Player Safety.

Garnet Hathaway was very slow to get up after taking this cross check from Matthew Tkachuk to end the first period.

Not great: pic.twitter.com/KhlSf380Pm

— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) April 23, 2023

As if that wasn’t enough, Tkachuk then cross-checked an unsuspecting Linus Ullmark 16:49 into the third period when the Boston Bruins had a 5-2 lead, but of course, he gets a minor, and Ullmark gets tossed. Huh?

Pure chaos in Bruins-Panthers:

A line brawl breaks out and Linus Ullmark wants to fight Matthew Tkachuk. pic.twitter.com/Owoqimmgrh

— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) April 23, 2023

TURNING POINT: Thanks to Tkachuk’s stupidity And lack of composure, the Boston Bruins began the second period on the powerplay and made Tkachuk and the Panthers pay on the scoreboard. Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk put his team up 2-0 with a powerplay goal 1:52 into the middle frame, with Dmitry Orlov and Taylor Hall grabbing the helpers.

The Bruins power play strikes again.

Jake DeBrusk finishes off a great passing play and it’s 2-0 Bruins: pic.twitter.com/PSupykPdqC

— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) April 23, 2023

While this didn’t turn out to be the game-winner, the ability to gain revenge on Tkachuk and once again turn his dirty play into points, seemed to unite the Bruins even more.

HONORABLE MENTION: Coining this nickname now for Jake DeBrusk: ‘Big Goal Jake’

Since he entered the NHL in the 2017-18 season, Boston Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk has had a knack for big and clutch goals. He has three game-winning goals in 120 Stanley Cup playoff games and 29 in 385 regular season games. Even though he didn’t score a game-winner in Game 4, his two goals were huge, especially the one that made it 4-2 8:05 into the third period and just 1:54 after Sam Bennett had made it 3-2.

Jake DeBrusk deposits a rebound after a nice pass from Taylor Hall to Pavel Zacha.

4-2 Bruins: pic.twitter.com/9bivZ9CgFh

— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) April 23, 2023

BY THE NUMBERS: 0 – The number of goals the Florida Panthers have scored in the first period of each game in this series.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “Back to the TD Garden baby!” – Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery on NESN postgame show.