David Pastrnak Has One Regret From Fight With Matthew Tkachuk

David Pastrnak was ready and willing to go outside his comfort zone and step up for Bruins teammates Wednesday night.

However, Boston’s premier goal scorer knows he didn’t put his best foot forward in a space he rarely occupies.

Pastrnak, playing in his ninth NHL season, logged only the second fight of his career in the Bruins’ Game 2 loss to the Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. The four-time All-Star wasn’t actively looking to brawl, but he accepted the challenge in the third period when Matthew Tkachuk came calling.

Tkachuk, who’s far more prone to fight, got the better of his counterpart, including a cheap shot that drew the ire of Jim Montgomery. Pastrnak after the game didn’t make much of the scrap, but he did note how he didn’t set himself up for success.

“I’m not a very experienced fighter,” Pastrnak told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I fell down, it’s on me. I wish I approached it a little better, but as I said, I haven’t been in many of those.”

As far as the Bruins are concerned, the result of the fight probably didn’t matter much. Pastrnak’s competitiveness alone clearly left an impression on teammates, which could pay dividends Friday night when Boston hosts Florida for Game 3.

Although Montgomery isn’t expecting any spillover in the series’ first game at TD Garden, we shouldn’t be surprised if things get very chippy again between these Atlantic Division rivals.