Bruins' Trent Frederic calls out Matthew Tkachuk for 'disrespectful' behavior

Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic dropped his gloves and was ready to trade blows with Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk in the first period Tuesday night.

But the fight that Frederic wanted and that Tkachuk was supposedly going for never materialized.

Unlike Frederic, Tkachuk never shook off his gloveswhich left Frederic confused as he grabbed Tkachuk's jersey. A scrum ensued about halfway up the ice and Frederic was ultimately assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

After Boston's 6-4 season-opening loss at Amerant Bank Arena, Frederic revealed that Tkachuk had told him he would face the Bruins center, and Frederic asked him to pull out of the fight.

“He actually asked me because I asked him, and then he didn’t. This is difficult to understand,” Frederic told reporters. “I didn’t know people did that. I think that’s a little disrespectful to the game.”

Frederic's comments only reinforce the rivalry the Bruins and Panthers have created in recent years, with Tkachuk being a villain in the eyes of the Boston fan base.

Even though Tkachuk and Frederic, who scored a goal in the third period, didn't meet, there was still plenty of inconvenience throughout the game. Bruins newcomer Mark Kastelic and former Bruins forward AJ Greer exchanged fists less than six minutes into the game. Sam Bennett also ran over Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo in the third period.

The Bruins definitely wanted some revenge after the Panthers ended Boston's season in the playoffs the last two years. But trying to get revenge on Florida, particularly through physical play, seemed to cloud the Bruins' judgment. They were undisciplined at points and committed eight penalties.

“I don't know. Maybe a little. “I mean, my mind probably wasn't in the best shape going into the first hockey game (of the season),” Frederic said. “The positive thing is that we kept pushing back and I think that's easy for us “We're running out of time. We'll get them in the next week or so.”