Dave Hyde: A goal, an assist, a dozen dust-ups — Tkachuk’s fire not enough as Panthers routed by Bruins

Well, it was there for a moment. You felt it like a Matthew Tkachuk hit. The Florida Panthers scored a power-play goal, their first of the series, to pull within 3-2 in Sunday’s third period and you felt what still could be this season.

Fans danced. Music played. The chant of, “Let’s Go Panthers,” drowned out the constantly competing one in of, “Let’s go Bruins!”

For too long, it seemed like hockey’s version of playoff fever would slip past the home ice without so much as an appearance after the Panthers were dominated on Friday’s Game 3 and were going down hard again in Game 4.

But there it was for that moment. And then the more common feeling this series quickly followed as Boston caused chaos at the Panthers net, a Bruin forward wasn’t cleared — Jake DeBrusk this time — and he smacked home a rebound to make it 4-2.

And a breakaway made it 5-2.

And an empty-netter made it 6-2.

So, the only question left is if Boston finishes off the series in Wednesday’s Game 5. Why not? It’s up 3-1. It has a Stanley Cup to go chase.

The Panthers look like they’re down to learning moments. And what is being learned here? That it’s best to avoid a historically strong top seed? That they’re just overmatched?

Or maybe they’re learning while they’re better constituted for playoff hockey after a year of change, they still have glaring pieces missing. They need more Tkachuks, for instance. You’re not going to find his talent on the market, of course.

But his fire? Can someone inject Aleksander Barkov, for one, with some of that? Tkachuk had a goal, an assist and a half-dozen dust-ups this game, the final one coming when he went after goalie Linus Ullmark and took on a tag-team of Bruins.

Did Tkachuck cross a line this game? No doubt. Maybe a few times. We’ll get to that. But start here to understand what the actual Panthers trouble is: It’s still hard to believe that at the end of a first-period rush Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling didn’t keep Boston’s Brad Marchand from taking two good whacks at the puck lying in front of sprawled goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Bobrovsky, who got his first start this series, made two stops on this particular play and heard someone say, “I got it.” He froze, thinking the puck was, “in my body somewhere,” as he said.

The puck sat on the ice before him. Marchand came in like an express train. Forsling didn’t stop him. The only thing preventing Marchand from taking three whacks at the puck is his second one went in the net. Boston led, 1-0.

That’s why Marchand is a star and the Panthers will be looking for physical defensemen. They have an overly physical forward. Tkachuk whacked Boston’s Garnet Hathaway with a blindside, spleen-rattling cross-check as the second period ended.

Dumb? Undisciplined? Yep and yep. There’s a traditional time and place for that in playoff hockey, and that’s in the final minutes of a blowout loss like when Tkachuk made a play at Ullmark. He then took on a couple other Bruins in a way that led to all 11 players on the ice in a scrum.

That’sthe chaos Tkachuk brings to a game — as well as the Panthers first goal and assist on the second. Again the cross-check penalty was dumb in a 1-0 game. Boston scored again on that power play to make it, 2-0.

“He plays with emotion,” Marchand said of Tkachuk. “He likes being in the scrum, creating havoc, taking guys to the [penalty] box.”

Marchand and Tkachuk have kindred games except for one fact. Marchand is 34 and learned where the line between antagonizing and cheap shots is. Tkachuk is still learning it. He’ll get there and be a star all the way.

This roster could use more of his fire, too. Again, Barkov, who was pointless again, needs some of it. Same for a couple of defensemen keeping Boston forwards from turning rebounds into goals.

“We know what we’re up against,” Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas said.

They’re facing elimination Wednesday in Game 5.

“We still know what we can do,” Barkov said.

There was a moment, a passing moment, when you felt that injection of hope Sunday. It was soon replaced by another Boston goal. And another. And by now all that’s left as the Panthers move to Game 5 is wondering if the Panthers can find more spirit to make what they have in Tkachuk.