There have been plenty of sidebars between the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins in this second-round playoff series.
Matthew Tkachuk and Jeremy Swayman has been bubbling since it started.
The Boston goalie and the Florida agitator have been going at it with one another since Game 1 of this series when Swayman took a whack at Tkachuk as he skated by the cage.
Swayman was also caught slashing Sam Reinhart as he passed by at the end of the second period in Game 3.
In the first period Sunday, not long after Pat Maroon offered a blanket invitation to anyone in a white Florida sweater for a dance, Swayman and Tkachuk mixed it up again.
As he did with Reinhart on Friday night, Swayman swung his stick into Tkachuk’s midsection as he skated by.
Tkachuk returned the favor.
Swayman then gave Tkachuk the old ‘come on’ move with his glove.
Tkachuk did not ‘come on.’
Perhaps Tuesday night in Sunrise, he will.
Of course, Linus Ullmark could be in net for the Bruins in Game 5.
“Not too many goalies are as active with the stick like the slashes, the extra stuff after,” Tkachuk told Hockey Night in Canada following the game.
“I probably should just stay away from that, try to put the puck on it and try and get some wins here. Got to focus on the task at hand, and that’s one more win.”
Florida won 3-2 on Sunday night, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Boston, of course, had a 3-1 series lead against the Panthers last year in the first round before Tkachuk helped his team rally for a Game 5 win in Boston before winning the series in 7.
The Panthers are 3-0 when leading 3-1 in a playoff series; Boston is 0-25 when trailing 3-1.
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