Boston and Florida turned up the heat in Game 2 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series on Wednesday with a heavyweight bout between stars Matthew Tkachuk and David Pastrnak.

The visiting Bruins — who entered with a 1-0 series lead — were trailing 6-1 with just over seven minutes remaining in the third period when top winger Pastrnak and Panthers forward Tkachuk dropped the gloves in an uncharacteristic fight that Pastrnak was ready to accept when Tkachuk agreed to the challenge.

“I’m not afraid of him, to be honest,” Pastrnak said. “I can take a punch.”

The fisticuffs actually appeared to be approved by Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. Cameras showed Montgomery seemingly giving Pastrnak the nod to mix it up with Tkachuk shortly before the two went after one another.

Montgomery denied he offered explicit permission, but he wasn’t upset over Pastrnak getting physical in the Bruins’ eventual 6-1 loss that tied the series as it moves to Boston for Game 3 on Friday.

“I’m really proud of Pasta,” Montgomery said. “He just went out there and fought. You like your hockey players to be competitors.”

What Montgomery didn’t appreciate was the added hits he thought Tkachuk got in as Pastrnak went to the ice.

“That’s not part of the game to me,” Montgomery said.

For his part, Florida coach Paul Maurice felt the scrap was a positive.

“I thought it was awesome,” Maurice said.

Both Tkachuk and Pastrnak received penalties for fighting and a game misconduct. But as Pastrnak blatantly admitted after the final whistle, “The game was over.”

It was a difficult night all around for Boston, which sustained its most lopsided loss of the postseason. The Bruins started well, with Charlie Coyle offering them a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes. But it was all Florida from there, as the Panthers scored six unanswered goals to secure their first victory of the series.

Boston had been enjoying sensational goaltending by Jeremy Swayman throughout the playoffs — he entered Game 2 with a 5-2 record, .955 save percentage and 1.42 goals against average — but Montgomery pulled Swayman early in the third after he allowed the fourth Panthers goal. Swayman, who hadn’t given up more than two goals in a playoff contest to that point, was replaced by Linus Ullmark in his first action since Game 2 of Boston’s first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Montgomery didn’t think the downturn had to do with Swayman, though, as much as the Bruins having played their starter in six of seven games through a first-round series that ended Saturday and again in Monday’s Game 1 — during which Swayman was exceptional in making 38 stops in the win.

“The workload played into our effort tonight,” Montgomery said. “We didn’t have juice tonight. Swayman was terrific. I thought about taking him out at 3-1, and then when the fourth goal went in, I was like, ‘I’m taking him out now.'”

Ullmark finished with eight saves on 10 shots to Swayman’s 19 stops of 23 shots.

It has been the Bruins’ habit not to announce a starting goaltender prior to games in the postseason. It’s unlikely Montgomery will break with tradition prior to Game 3.

Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov were named finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award on Wednesday.

Voted on by fellow members of the NHL Players’ Association, it is presented annually to the most outstanding player in the NHL.

Matthews won the trophy in 2021-22 and Kucherov claimed it in 2018-19, while MacKinnon is looking for his first Ted Lindsay Award.

Matthews led the NHL with 69 goals and scored a career-high 107 points in 81 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 26-year-old forward became just the 10th player in NHL history to record six or more hat tricks in a season.

MacKinnon was second in the league with 140 points (51 goals, 89 assists) in 82 games for the Colorado Avalanche. The 28-year-old forward opened the season with a 35-game points streak at home and led the NHL in shots (405).

Kucherov set a Tampa Bay franchise record and topped the NHL with 144 points (44 goals, 100 assists) in 81 games for the Lightning. The 30-year-old forward also topped the league with 53 points on the power play.

Ippei Mizuhara agreed Wednesday to plead guilty to federal charges of felony bank fraud and submitting a false tax return after authorities found that he stole nearly $17 million from Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in order to pay off gambling debts to an illegal sportsbook.

Mizuhara, 39, who had been Ohtani’s longtime interpreter, is expected to enter his guilty plea in the coming weeks. His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

A sentencing date has not been set. The total maximum sentence Mizuhara could receive for both crimes would be 33 years imprisonment and fines of $1.25 million, but in exchange for his plea — outlined in the agreement released Wednesday — prosecutors would recommend a reduced sentence.

A spokesperson for Ohtani declined to comment.

Federal authorities filed the complaint against Mizuhara on April 11, just three weeks after an ESPN investigation detailing wire transfers of $500,000 from Ohtani’s bank account to the bookmaking operation. Mizuhara initially told ESPN Ohtani had sent the money to help him pay his debts but later changed his story to say Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling or the wire transfers. Ohtani’s attorneys alleged the slugger had been the victim of a “massive theft.”

“The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada in a press release. “He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit.”

Also in the statement, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher said, “Mr. Mizuhara exploited his relationship with Mr. Ohtani to bankroll his own irresponsibility.”

The documents filed Wednesday further detailed a relationship of trust in which Ohtani, who did not speak English, relied on his Japanese translator to help him with everything from answering questions at press conferences, transacting with financial advisors and sports agents, and opening bank accounts.

Mizuhara began placing bets with an illegal bookmaker in September 2021, and as his losses quickly mounted, he began to exploit his access to Ohtani’s financial accounts to pay off his debts.

Mizuhara took many steps to deceive Ohtani, including changing contact information on the baseball player’s bank accounts so communication would come to Mizuhara. He even impersonated Ohtani on the phone with calls to the bank, which he did at least 24 times, according to the plea agreement.

In September 2023, Mizuhara told Ohtani he needed $60,000 for dental work, which Ohtani arrange to give him via a check drawn from a business account. However, Mizuhara pocketed that money and instead used Ohtani’s debit card to pay the $60,000 dental bill.

ESPN’s Tisha Thompson contributed to this report.