While blown chances to build on an early 2-0 lead in Game 4 did the Boston Bruins in, there’s also no debating some bad breaks with officiating factored into a 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday night.
After seeing his team go to the penalty box four times in the third period and seeing Florida Panthers pest Sam Bennett get away with another penalty that led to the game-tying goal, David Pastrnak finished off a blunt and passionate post-Game 4 media scrum with some humor.
“Maybe we have to stop yelling at them. Be nice to them. Smile at them,” the Bruins alternate captain quipped.
The Bruins fans at TD Garden were aghast when both Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle missed Grade A chances to beat Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky in the second period. They were even more aghast that the Panthers were awarded four straight power plays in the first 10:31 of the third period and that Sam Bennett tied the game on the first one. Bennett, who got away with sucker-punching Bruins captain Brad Marchand in the first period of Game 3, shoved Bruins center Charlie Coyle into goalie Jeremy Swayman before picking up the easy layup into the empty Bruins’ net 3:41 into the third period.
Right off the bat in his media scrum, Pastrnak, who put the Bruins up 1-0 with a power play goal himself 8:53 into the game, was asked about the controversial Bennett goal.
“To us, it was clear that Coyle got cross-checked to the crease, and Sway couldn’t move,” Pastrnak replied. “So I mean, you have to look in the rulebook. It’s clear, and it’s clear there, that it’s goalie interference. That’s why we challenge it, obviously. We have a great video coaching staff, and we thought it was a sure thing.”
The Boston Bruins winger, who now has four goals and four assists in 11 postseason games, was asked how frustrating it was that Bennett, of all people, scored after leaving Marchand out of Game 4 with an upper-body injury.
“Yeah, 100%. I mean, we saw — it was obviously, clearly intentional,” Pastrnak said, referring to the punch from Bennett on Marchand. “Again, from our look and with the cam footage we got. This is the cards we have to deal with and we have to make sure to regroup and get ready for our next game.”
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