Tanner Jeannot and Marcus Foligno dropped the gloves tonight, and the Bruins crowd at TD Garden finally had something to cheer.
Boston needed it. Minnesota scored twice in 1:07, Blake Coleman on a bad bounce off Jeremy Swayman and Quinn Hughes 53 seconds into the second period.
Jack Studley was on it right away, writing that Jeannot got the takedown and that there was "some life at TD Garden."
Conor Ryan simply posted the matchup, Jeannot against Foligno. It's the kind of pairing that needs no explanation for anyone who watches this team. Jeannot is listed at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Foligno at 6-foot-3 and 225, and the Boston forward already had 32 penalty minutes in 19 games coming in.
Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic's softer side was the story a week ago. Tonight it was the other side, the one that drops the gloves when the building goes quiet.
The timing matters. The Bruins are coming off Thursday's 5-2 loss to Montreal, after which Marco Sturm preached better defense. Two quick goals against in the second period are exactly what he was talking about.
Why Marco Sturm will like this fight
Sturm has never been shy about where he stands. After the Bruins-Panthers brawl, Marco Sturm defended fighting in no uncertain terms, and Jeannot just gave him another example of why.
A fight won't fix a defensive breakdown, and nobody should pretend it does. But the bench noticed, the crowd noticed, and the power play got work soon after.
Fraser Minten cashed in on it. Studley had the goal, Minten's seventh of the season.
There was also a scrum between Mark Kastelic and Jared Spurgeon after a high stick, and that sent Boston to another power play. The Wild had been comfortable. They weren't anymore.
Minnesota arrived as one of the hottest teams in the league, so the Bruins can't expect it to go quiet. The game is still live, with 10:00 left in the second period, and the Bruins host the Kings on Tuesday.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
Did the Jeannot fight change the energy for Boston?
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