It took three months for the Bruins and Lightning to see each other for the first time this season. The rematch will come five days later. Given the bad blood between the Atlantic Divison rivals at the end of Tampa’s 4-1 win on Thursday, the 7 p.m. game at TD Garden on Tuesday could be nasty.
There was some low-level chippiness beginning at the end of the first period when Tampa defenseman Erik Cernak thought Mason Lohrei shot the puck after the whistle at Andrei Vasilevskiy. But other than some jawing, very little came of it.
The pot boiled over in the third. The Bruins were likely frustrated when it became clear they were headed for their sixth straight game without a win. Tampa sending out its No. 1 power play with a two-goal lead in the final minute could have added to that irritation, especially when the Lightning scored. But nothing, not even yelling, happened at that point.
With 25 seconds left, Bruins forward Mark Kastelic, who is second in the NHL in hits, checked Emil Lilleberg hard in the corner. Kastelic was headed for another on Nick Perbix with 10 seconds left, but the Lightning forward spun out of it. Kastelic then skated toward Lilleberg, who had the puck in the neutral zone in front of Tampa bench, looking for one more hit.
Lilleberg passed the puck away and saw the Bruins forward coming. Only Kastelic knows if he was just looking to finish his check a little late or seeking a greater confrontation. Either way, the 6-foot-2, 202-pound defenseman brought his stick up and cross-checked Kastelic, who is 6-foot-4, in the mouth or chin area.
Seemingly caught off guard, Kastelic immediately shifted into fight mode, throwing right hands. He landed a couple, but lost his balance when he missed on one allowing Lilleberg to shove him to the ice, where the 23-year-old took a few more shots. The camera’s angle made it hard to tell for sure, but it appeared that Lilleberg may have hit Kastelic’s head into the ice.
Kastelic was a little wobbly when he got up as he yelled at Lilleberg. Parker Wotherspoon guided him by the arm to the Bruins bench.
After the officials looked at the video, Lilleberg was given two majors — one for fighting, one for cross-checking — and a game misconduct. He could receive supplemental discipline, either a fine or a suspension.
“I thought it was them sending a message for the next game,” Tampa’s Brayden Point said. “Our guys did a good job standing up for each other.”
Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco put all the blame on Lilleberg.
“Kasty was just finishing a check and he got cross-checked in the face,” Sacco said.
In the ensuing faceoff, all 10 skaters swarmed to the corner for a shoving scrum that earned Justin Brazeau a roughing penalty and a misconduct. Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman skated up to the blue line where he monitored things, perhaps ready to participate if Vasilevskiy joined the angry mass of bodies.
Swayman was asked after the game about the team staying united during its losing streak and he pivoted the conversation to the end of the game.
“That’s one thing I know we won’t lose in this room. Having each other’s backs. The last two seconds of the game aren’t going to go unnoticed,” said Swayman, who seemed to believe Kastelic might have suffered a concussion. “It was unnecessary all around. (Kastelic) is the toughest guy in the league for a reason. He’s fighting a guy (while) knocked out. It’s unbelievable to see that. I hope he’s feeling better. I want him back soon.”
Morgan Geekie, whose brother plays for Tampa, shared Swayman’s frustration.
“It was a pretty cheap cross-check I thought,” Bruins forward Morgan Geekie said. “I don’t blame him for what he did. We’re not too happy about that.”
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