Panthers HC Paul Maurice delivers cold response to Brad Marchand's ejection

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice had a cold response when asked his opinion on Brad Marchand's ejection in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.

Marchand and Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere got into a fight after Gostisbehere fired a puck in Marchand's direction in the third period at 8:15.

Marchand immediately went after Gostisbehere, dropping his gloves. He exchanged punches before wrestling him to the ice and refusing to let up even as referees intervened.

Gostisbehere received a two-minute roughing penalty. Marchand got a 10-minute misconduct and four minutes for roughing, resulting in his ejection from the game.

When asked about the call after the Panthers' 5-2 win during the postgame press conference, Maurice said:

"I've got one (impression). I'm going to keep that to myself."

Marchand was frustrated with the penalties and was seen exchanging a few words with the referee. Prior to the scrap, he had made his physical presence with four hits in just over 13 minutes of ice time.

The Panthers got goals from Aaron Ekblad, A.J. Greer, Sam Bennett, Eetu Luostarinen, and Carter Verhaeghe in the win. Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake scored for the Hurricanes.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 34 saves for Florida while Frederik Andersen allowed 5 goals on 20 shots for Carolina.

Paul Maurice's perspective on the Panthers' 5-2 win against the Hurricanes

Paul Maurice acknowledged that the team's performance was not their best, but he understood the reasoning behind it. The significant style change in facing a new opponent like the Hurricanes meant that the first game was a chance to get a glimpse of what their game would look like against a different team.

"We will have to continue to build that game and get better, though we had some good finishes," Maurice said (8:30 onwards). "I thought they had good chances that they didn't finish on. It's a little bit what it looks like when these two teams play.

"It's a different style of rush game than we've seen so we were just okay with how we handled it so we have to make adjustments." He added.

The coach also highlighted Sergei Bobrovsky’s solid effort in goal, calling “very strong" performance. With Florida now leading 1-0, the two teams will meet again on Thursday at PNC Arena.