Watch: Tuukka Rask and David Pastrnak got physical against the Lightning
We almost had a full-on goalie fight.
https://youtu.be/ENFHtNqGMao
Between the physicality, emotions and a first place spot in the Eastern Conference up for grabs, Thursday’s Bruins-Lightning tilt lived up to the hype.
Sometimes that can lead up to some unusual moments when those are rolled into one. That was certainly the case for the Bruins when two unlikely combatants engaged in rare and spirited fight(s).
Those two combatants happen to be Tuukka Rask, a goalie often ridiculed on sports radio when things go awry, and David Pastrnak, a talented 21-year-old who isn’t well known for his physicality as much as his dazzling playmaking skills.
Pastrnak and Rask brought that emotional spark for their teammates and led the way in the Bruins’ spirited 4-2 win over Lightning.
“You get the goalie involved in anything and the emotions start to go,” David Backes said following his return from a knee laceration that caused him to miss the previous five games. “But Pasta [Pastrnak] to defend Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] a little bit there, he felt a little liberty was taken on him, probably a clean hit but you can’t have your better players being taken advantage of like that.
“Kudos to Pasta for stepping up, fighting a bigger guy who is maybe more used to having his gloves off .”
First came Rask’s bout with Cory Conacher with the Bruins leading 2-1 in the second period. Clearly frustrated with the chippy Bolts being around the crease leading up to this point, Rask took matters into his own hands.
“I felt like they were pushing or something, so I just had to let them know I was there because it happened twice,” said Rask. “So I jumped in there and threw a couple punches and that was it.”
Rask backed up his fight with a 26-save performance.
Pastrnak continues to dazzle in his fourth year as a Bruin. But his popularity might have hit an all-time high when he came to the aid of Bergeron following Dan Girardi’s hit. Though it looked clean, Pastrnak, who notched his 32nd of the season to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead late in the first period, took exception and dropped the gloves for the first time in his career.
“It was perfect timing,” Pastrnak said about his bout with Girardi. “A 2-1 game, playing for first place in the division, I think it was perfect timing.”
Pastrnak found a perfect time to notch his first career Gordie Howe Hat Trick; assisting on Marchand’s empty-netter to seal the 4-2 win in front of a boisterous 17,565 at TD Garden.
It was also a perfect time for the Bruins to come together, again. In a year where they persevered through injuries and overcame deficits, the Black and Gold now stand alone atop the East.
“Well, it’s our team right there in a nutshell. We stick together, and I think we’ve done that all year, no matter who is in the lineup,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We trust our players to go out and do the job and have each other’s backs. That’s what makes it a special group.”
