Mark Kastelic says it ‘means a lot’ when his teammates have his back.
Bruins forward Mark Kastelic was cross-checked in the mouth toward the end of last week's 4-1 loss to the Lightning in Tampa Bay, and when these teams met again Tuesday night at TD Garden, the B's made sure Bolts forward Emil Lilleberg paid for his actions.
Bruins forward Trent Frederic dropped the gloves for a fight with Lilleberg in the second period, and it was a pretty entertaining bout. Frederic landed several right-handed jabs and scored a decisive victory.
Watch the fight in the video below:
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Trent Frederic and Emil Lilleberg chuck 'em in a great tilt 🥊 pic.twitter.com/tzOrgD7MPQ
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 15, 2025
The fight energized the Bruins as they ultimately earned a 6-2 statement win.
Kastelic hasn't played since last week's loss in Tampa Bay, but he was back at practice Wednesday. Afterward, he told reporters how much he appreciated Frederic and the entire team having his back.
"The kind of guys we have and how tight we are, I commend them a lot for stepping up and having my back out there," Kastelic said, as seen in the video player above.
"I feel like I try to have their backs as best I can, and when they fight to stick up for me, it means a lot. I love those guys. When I'm watching that, it makes me happy. Happy to know I'm here for a couple more years. To be with this group is really special."
Kastelic was acquired by the Bruins as part of the Linus Ullmark trade with the Ottawa Senators last July, and he's made a seamless transition to Boston. The veteran center plays a hard, physical style of hockey and excels on faceoffs. He's added some valuable scoring to the bottom-six, too, with a career-high 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 43 games.
The Bruins signed Kastelic to a three-year extension worth $4.7 million earlier this month.
