Florida Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues found the back of the net 6:26 into the third period against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night, but it wasn’t the end of the play.
Things immediately got worse for Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo when Sam Bennett came crashing in and steamrolled Korpisalo with the lamp already lit.
A scrum broke out with Mason Lohrei taking a couple of shots at Bennett with Korpisalo down on the ice. Korpisalo came away from the collision unscathed after being looked at by a member of the Bruins training staff while Bennett got tagged with a roughing penalty.
It’s unclear if Bennett had enough room to try to avoid Korpisalo, who was situated at the top of the crease, and Korpisalo wasn’t going to speculate on that matter and seemed to give Bennett the benefit of the doubt.
“I was just trying to focus on the puck and I didn’t really see what happened,” Korpisalo told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I don’t think anyone wants to run over the goalie on purpose. So, I don’t know what happened.”
Bennett trucking Korpisalo, who finished with 29 saves, wasn’t the only noteworthy encounter in Boston’s 6-4 season-opening loss at Amerant Bank Arena.
It looked like Trent Frederic and Matthew Tkachuk were going to fight in the first period, but only Frederic dropped the gloves, leading to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the Bruins forward. Frederic called out Tkachuk for not engaging with him after the game.
Bruins newcomer Mark Kastelic and former Bruins forward A.J. Greer actually dropped the gloves just 5:55 into the opening frame, setting the tone for a physical matchup between the two rivals.
Bennett’s latest act will continue to make him an enemy among the Boston fan base. Bruins fans certainly haven’t forgotten the hit he laid on Brad Marchand in last year’s playoffs.
Perhaps the Bruins took Bennett’s number — he scored two goals in Florida’s win — and will look to get back at him with the two sides playing next Monday at TD Garden.
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