Trent Frederic Wasn’t Impressed By Matthew Tkachuk’s Reluctance To Drop The Gloves in Bruins-Panthers Game

We've only gotten through one full night of NHL hockey so far this season, and we've already got some bad blood brewing between a couple of players on teams that already do not like each other after Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic and Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk.

The first night of the NHL schedule (not counting the two Global Series Games) offered three games with some solid storylines. You had Jessica Campbell becoming the first female assistant coach in league history when the Kraken faced off against the Blues, and then you had Utah Hockey Club making their debut against the Chicago Blackhawks.

However, the game of the night that we all had circled was between the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins, two teams that hate each other after back-to-back postseason run-ins.

This game didn't do anything to cool things down either.

Except for a late couple of goals from the Bruins, this game was all Panthers, who skated to a 6-4 win. However, there was plenty of rough stuff, some of which can be traced back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs a few months ago.

One notable moment saw Frederic grab Tkachuk, but while it looked like we were about to see a fight, the Panthers' agitator simply didn't drop the gloves.

After the game, Frederic didn't think twice about Tkachuk for not being willing to throw some punches.

"He actually asked me because I was asking him and then he didn’t. It’s hard to read that," Frederic said. "I didn’t know people did that. I think that’s a little disrespectful to the game."

Frederic is a tough customer, and if Tkatchuk backed down like he said, that's a bad look. However, situationally speaking there was no reason for Tkachuk to fight.

Matthew Tkachuk said "Thanks, but no thanks" to a fight with Boston's Trent Frederic, and while it doesn't look great, it was probably the smartest decision at the time. (Getty Images)

Tkachuk May Have Demonstrated Some Strong Situational Awareness

This all happened just before the halfway point of the first period, about two minutes after the Panther scored their second goal of the game. Frederic probably wanted to jumpstart his team and what better way to do that than by feeding The Rat some knuckle sandwiches?

However, why would Tkachuk want to throw the B's a lifeline when the game had been all Florida to that point? Plus, Tkachuk managed to draw a penalty out of this.

I can kind of see both sides of the issue, and I'm sure we'll get more from what is quickly becoming one of the best rivalries in hockey when the two teams meet again on Monday in Boston.