The Boston Bruins had not shown up. By 17:34, at the third and final TV timeout of Sunday’s first period, they were trailing the Columbus Blue Jackets, 2-0.

Tanner Jeannot decided to do something about it. Six seconds later, Mark Kastelic did, too. The Bruins did not believe it was a coincidence that the fights preceded their awakening.

“Kasty and Jeannot took the lead,” coach Marco Sturm told reporters in Columbus after his team wiped out a 3-0 deficit to claim a 4-3 shootout win. 

On July 1, 2025, the Bruins invested five years and $17 million in Jeannot for exactly such occasions. As a first-year Bruin, Jeannot has grown into a penalty killer, forechecker and net-front puck hunter. 

What sets him apart from others, though, is how he impacts outcomes by fighting.

The 6-foot-2, 221-pound Jeannot goes about his business quietly. He is not big on chirping or agitating. But he speaks loudly with his fists. Jeannot is both a tactician and a juggernaut, blending technique with his brute strength. He is a complete fighter.

One of the overlooked qualities of strongmen like Jeannot is their knack for reading the situation. They know, more often than not, the best time to ask for a fight and on whose door to knock.

Jeannot’s timing was exquisite.

Prior to the TV timeout, Jeannot had tipped a puck on net. It was one of the few chances the Bruins had recorded. As he followed up his opportunity, Jeannot jostled with Erik Gudbranson. Their disagreement would continue.

Either during the timeout or just after it, Jeannot asked the 6-foot-5, 222-pound Gudbranson to fight. Gudbranson, in retrospect, should have said no. The Blue Jackets had everything on their side. Jeannot is not wired to jump anybody who declines an invitation. 

But Gudbranson accepted. Off they went. 

There was more to come.

Jeannot and Kastelic are not just linemates. They understand better than anyone the difficulty of their gloves-off work. It is not fun to get punched in the head. So they stick up for each other, even when the circumstances are unfavorable.

It is understood, to that end, that Mathieu Olivier is probably the baddest fighter around. He is a 6-foot-1, 232-pound specimen with all the checkmarks of a best-in-class punisher: strength, technique, stability, awareness and the ability to take a punch. It takes bravery to go at Olivier.

Kastelic is long on that quality.

The right wing is not as tactical of a fighter as Jeannot. Kastelic tends to scrap on courage and emotion. He fights like he plays: all out.

So even though Kastelic knew the danger of fighting Olivier, he approached his opponent and fought on his toes. They started the bout by trading punches. As they proceeded, Olivier got a good grab with his left hand, set his balance and swung away with his right hand. He did not miss often.

Oliver won the fight. But the right wing was hurt during the encounter. He played just one shift in the second before calling it a night.

“The other guy never came back,” Sturm said. “I’m not saying he won the fight. But it means a lot. That guy, he’s pretty tough too. But he took one for the team. That’s what I like. That’s what good teams do. Very proud of him.”

Kastelic pitched his helmet against the boards as he left the ice. His teammates noticed. 

They saw how Kastelic and Jeannot purposely put themselves in harm’s way. They owed the heavyweights better than what they had been doing. Jeannot and Kastelic also convinced Sturm to keep Jeremy Swayman in net despite a three-goal hole after 20 minutes.

“I didn’t want to give up,” Sturm said. “These guys worked too hard. Those two guys set the bar so high at the end of the first, even when we got scored on on the PK. I didn’t want to lose that fight.”

The Bruins gained a foothold in the second period. They outshot the Blue Jackets, 12-5. A period later, their work broke through. Charlie McAvoy started the rally. Pavel Zacha brought them within one. Zacha’s six-on-five strike made it a 3-3 game. Viktor Arvidsson settled the score in the shootout.

“Those are two big bodies on the other side. Tough, tough opponents to drop the gloves with,” McAvoy said. “Two big, emotional fights for us. Kind of wakes everyone up. That was the spark of life we needed. Then we came in and got it from Sturmy a little bit. After that, it was like, ‘OK, let’s go. Time to get going.’ I think we did.”