WATCH: Brad Marchand ejected for short scrap with Shayne Gostisbehere after latter fired puck at Panthers veteran

Tempers flared in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night as Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere engaged in a brief but heated scrap.

The incident occurred 8:15 into the third period after Gostisbehere had fired a puck at Marchand's direction. Marchand immediately dropped his gloves and went after Gostisbehere.

The two exchanged punches while moving before Marchand wrestled Gostisbehere to the ice. Marchand refused to let up even as referees moved in to break up the tussle.

Watch the video here:

Gostisbehere received a two-minute roughing penalty, while Marchand received four minutes for roughing and a game misconduct penalty. Marchand was seen frustrated after the penalty call and exchanged words with the referee while leaving the ice.

The ejection left the Panthers shorthanded but killed the penalty.

Florida won 5-2 with scoring contributions from Aaron Ekblad, A.J. Greer, Sam Bennett, Eetu Luostarinen and Carter Verhaeghe. Jackson Blake also scored for Carolina. Sergei Bobrovsky was solid in net with 34 saves, while Frederik Andersen had a tough night, allowing five goals on 20 shots.

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Panthers HC Paul Maurice's take on Brad Marchand's ejection

Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice had little to say about Brad Marchand's ejection from Game 1. When asked about the game misconduct that took Marchand, Maurice simply responded:

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

Brad Marchand was physical in his limited ice time, recording four hits in just over 13 minutes before. The Panthers coach talked about the team's performance, saying:

"I didn't love our game tonight, but I understood it, significant style change so the game one is that first look at what your game looks like in a completely different opponent. So, we will have to continue to build that game and get better, though we had some good finishes.”

Maurice acknowledged that the Hurricanes created some quality chances but didn’t finish them.

He pointed out that the game had a unique pace and rush style compared to what they’re used to and felt that the Panthers were just average in how they responded. Overall, Maurice seemed pleased with the win but noted that his team has areas to improve heading into Game 2 on Thursday.