Boston Bruins forward Trent Fredric started a beef with Matthew Tkachuk ahead of Monday afternoon's game, calling him out for refusing to drop the gloves in their last match.
The two teams have already met once this season as the Panthers hosted the Bruins for their season opener on Tuesday. That game was a wild affair that resulted in a 6-4 win for the Panthers and they appear to have gotten in the heads of at least one Bruins forward. The two teams meet again tomorrow afternoon and Trent Fredric is fired up for it as he appears to be looking for an opportunity to take on Matthew Tkachuk based on his comments ahead of the game. Fredric revealed that the two were friends growing up but now he can't stand him and would like a chance to fight him tomorrow.
"If they don't want to fight, there's not much you can do about it. That's kind of the bummer part of it. It makes it more frustrating in that sense. We sure were (friends). I grew up with him since I was probably five. But yeah, it's probably been different the last couple of years. But yeah, we're family friends. It's business. I don't really care. Maybe when our careers are over, we can have a reconciliation. But right now, I can't stand him."
Assuming Tkachuk is back in the lineup, we could see fireworks in Boston tomorrow if Fredric continues to pressure for a fight. We all know Tkachuk is not afraid to drop the gloves, but Panthers fans would likely rather see him scoring goals than punching faces. Either way, be sure to tune in tomorrow at 1PM EST as the two teams face each other for the second time this season.