Panthers look to gain ground on Bruins in race for first place in Atlantic Division
The Florida Panthers will close the book on their final road trip of the regular season with a pre-playoff test against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
Entering this afternoon’s matchup, the Bruins (45-17-15) currently hold a four-point lead over the Panthers (48-24-5) for first place in the Atlantic Division with just five games left.
“It’s exciting to play teams like Boston,” forward Nick Cousins penned in is recent Panther Postcard. “It forces you to play that playoff-style hockey. There won’t be much room out there. It’ll be physical, emotional, high-stakes hockey. They’re obviously four points ahead of us right now. We’re aware of that. It should be a good matchup to gear up for Game 1.”
Getting back on track after a weathering a few ups and downs in recent weeks, the Panthers cruised to a 6-0 win over the Ottawa Senators in their last tilt on Thursday.
After Cousins and Dmitry Kulikov each lit the lamp to make it 2-0 just 1:37 into the first period — the fastest two goals to start a game in franchise history — the Panthers kept their foot on the gas and never looked back as they dominated the full 60 minutes in Ottawa.
Anton Lundell, Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk also found the back of the net against the Senators, while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 30 shots he faced — including three high-danger stops — to pick up his fifth shutout of the campaign.
On special teams, Florida went 1-for-2 on the power play and 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.
For a team battling through adversity, it was just what the doctor ordered.
“I liked the way we played in the defensive zone,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said after the lopsided win. “[The Senators] have got a really active blue line. We were blocking shots at 4-0, 5-0. I liked that an awful lot. The penalty kill, clearly, really strong and great sticks. A lot of pressure on it. I liked they were able to get their energy up for the game.”
Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (53) and points (89), with an NHL-leading 27 of those goals coming by way of the power play. Tkachuk ranks second in points (83) and sits first in assists (59). Third in scoring, Aleksander Barkov has tallied 75 points (22 goals, 53 assists).
Lineup information for this afternoon’s matchup will be available after Panthers head coach Paul Maurice addresses the media in his pre-game availability around 1 p.m. ET.
On a three-game winning streak, the Bruins wrapped up their recent road trip with a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Thursday. Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Danton Heinen and Hampus Lindholm all scored, while Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves.
Owning the sixth-ranked defense in the NHL at 2.68 goals allowed per game — just a bit behind Florida’s second-ranked defense (2.48) on the NHL’s leaderboard — the Bruins have allowed just three goals during their current three-game streak.
Pastrnak leads the Bruins in goals (47), assists (59) and points (106).
If Boston continues to alternate between goaltenders, Linus Ullmark could draw in against the Panthers. Owning a 20-9-7 record with a .917 save percentage, the NHL’s reigning Vezina Trophy winner posted a 31-save shutout against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
Facing off the fourth and final time, the Panthers have gone 0-2-1 against the Bruins this season, losing two of those three games by just one goal. Playing well enough to win each of those games, the Panthers lead 9.18-6.96 in expected goals in the hard-fought season series.
PREGAME QUOTES
“I think there were probably some teams that underestimated us last year, but this year we know we’re going to get everyone’s best. We’ve already seen that throughout the regular season. We know we’re going to get Boston’s best tomorrow.” – Nick Cousins
“It’s been a good year, but obviously [our point total] is not our focus at all. We’re not really thinking about that or where we finish. It’s all about preparing the right way for what’s to come. That’s all that we’re worried about.” – Sam Bennett
FIVE CATS STATS
– The Panthers lead the NHL with 26 road wins this season.
– Sam Reinhart has scored a team-high 30 goals on the road.
– Aleksander Barkov is riding a six-game point streak.
– Vladimir Tarasenko has logged five points (1G, 4A) over his last three games.
– Matthew Tkachuk’s 24 multi-point games are tied for the team-lead.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Check back closer to puck drop.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
– April 3: D Uvis Balinskis recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
– April 2: Signed G Cooper Black to two-year, entry-level contract commencing in the 2024-25 season.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, April 6 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: TD Garden – Boston, MA
TV & Streaming: ABC, ESPN+
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
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