David Pastrnak got hit hard by this Panthers star forward.
Heading into Game 3, the Boston Bruins were handed less-than-ideal news. Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett officially returned from his upper-body injury. Besides being a skilled offensive play, Bennett is known for his gritty style of play, so the Bruins having to deal with him again was certainly not good news.
While Bennett had not played since Game 2 of the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he looked far from rusty. The 27-year-old forward posted an assist and was incredibly chippy, as expected.
David Pastrnak experienced that firsthand, as Bennett absolutely leveled the Bruins' superstar forward with a big check.
Bennett has garnered a reputation in the league for being a gritty and hard-nosed player, and he certainly lived up to it with his big hit on the Pastrnak. Thankfully, No. 88 got right back up and did not appear to suffer any real issues.
The Bruins will certainly need to improve their physicality in Game 4, especially with Bennett now back for the Panthers. Let's see if they can do just that from here.