Panthers Coach Has Priceless Reaction to Brad Marchand's 10-Minute Misconduct

The Florida Panthers grabbed a 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, but it wasn’t all routine.

A third-period incident involving Brad Marchand and Shayne Gostisbehere added the first layer of controversy to the opening contest of the series.

Marchand was ejected at 8:15 of the third period after reacting to a puck shot at him by Gostisbehere. The Panthers forward dropped his gloves and engaged the Carolina defenseman, landing a few punches before taking him to the ice.

Marchand received four minutes for roughing and a 10-minute game misconduct. Gostisbehere was assessed a two-minute roughing minor.

The Panthers veteran was spotted in the penalty box, appearing visibly frustrated by the penalty decision.

Asked about the altercation postgame, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice offered a restrained reply, deciding against commenting on the situation.

“Yeah, I’ve got one,” Maurice said when asked for his impression. “I’ll be keeping that to myself.”

Gostisbehere, who remained in the game, spoke more directly about the situation, not hiding his true feelings about it.

“He tried to take a run at me, I shot the puck at him,” Gostisbehere said. “It is what it is. Had a little tussle.”

Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand (63) fights Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostibehere (4) at Lenovo Center.James Guillory-Imagn Images

The Panthers were already leading 4-1 at the time of the altercation and successfully killed the resulting penalty.

Marchand’s absence didn’t change the outcome as Florida added a fifth goal and closed out the win.

Sergei Bobrovsky was Florida’s star on the night, blocking 31 of the 33 shots he faced but suffering a concerning hit to the head by Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov.

Game 2 of the series is set for Thursday night in Carolina, with puck drop set at 8 p.m. ET.

Panthers Coach Has Priceless Reaction to Brad Marchand’s 10-Minute Misconduct

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