Pat Maroon on Fighting the Florida Panthers: ‘I’m Trying’

If it was not obvious Sunday that Boston enforcer Pat Maroon was willing to fight anyone from the Florida Panthers, he said that may not be the case tonight.

Maroon, who went up to a number of Panthers in Game 4 and offered to trade fists, said that he will be looking for more than retribution when the Bruins play for their season in Game 5 tonight.

Florida holds a 3-1 lead in the series and can move to the Eastern Conference final with a victory tonight.

“We can’t really focus on that. It’s over, it’s done with,’’ Maroon said in Boston on Monday morning. “Focus on winning a hockey game now.”

That certainly was not the case on Sunday.

Boston came into Game 4 obviously upset with the Panthers after video showed Sam Bennett hitting Bruins captain Brad Marchand in the head.

Inadvertent or not, the Bruins said they were coming at the Panthers.

More like, for the Panthers.

“I think we have to really go after their top guys,’’ Pavel Zacha told reporters before Game 4.

“Let them know it’s not OK to go after our captain. That’s not OK with us. We’re ready to be physical again today and be a little bit harder on them.’’

Said Trent Frederic: “I think it pi--ed off everyone. I think that whole team kind of ticks everyone off, to be honest.’’

Maroon, who has a long history with the Panthers from his days with the Lightning, said he tried to do something Sunday.

His invitations went unanswered.

”I’m damned if I do, I’m damned if I don’t,’’ Maroon said. “I’m sure everyone’s wondering why I haven’t done anything, I’ll sit here and say, it’s not like I haven’t tried, or I don’t want to do anything. I love my captain, I love the guys. Trust me. It’s a tough business and everyone’s looking for me to do something. Unfortunately, I have tried, I am trying.”

Now, Maroon said, the Bruins better focus on trying to beat the Panthers and not beat them up.

Boston could be headed home for the summer if it doesn’t win here tonight.

“We haven’t been playing good. Unfortunately, that’s not good enough right now,’’ Maroon said. “We’ve got to push. When we have the lead, we’ve got to keep pushing, we’re not pushing when we have the lead, we’re sitting back our heel, we’re letting them dictate the play, We’ve got to start dictating the play more. We’ve got to start coming out with a little more fire … We have to stick together as a group. We’ve done a good job of that, I think, especially last series, too, rebounding, responding, playing the right way.”