The Boston Bruins were going into Tuesday night’s game against the Florida Panthers with one arm tied behind their back. They were without two of their top-six forwards.
The Boston Bruins were hoping to beat the Florida Panthers in Sunrise Tuesday night. A win would get them back over .500 and give them a little confidence and momentum when they finished the road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. But they were going to have to do it without David Pastrnak who was finishing out his two-game suspension, and David Backes who had recently undergone elbow surgery.
“I don’t think anyone had to talk in between the first and second to realize how bad we were. The second was much better, and we got back in the game. We were lucky to be up by one, and Tuukka really kept us in it. Definitely too many penalties, but we got it done on the PK.” – Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron
It was a tough order for the Bruins as they were pummeled early in the game. The Panthers out shot the Black and Gold 13-to-3 in the first period. If it wasn’t for Tuukka Rask guarding the net in an elite fashion, the Panthers could have easily ran away with the game.
This was one of those games where the Hockey Gods were certainly on the side of the Boston Bruins. Just 3:53 into the game, Bruins forward Brad Marchand was hooked by Florida Panther forward Reilly Smith. (Marchand’s former linemate when he played in Boston.) Marchand was awarded his fifth penalty shot of his career. If there is any player in the NHL that routinely has Roberto Luongo‘s number, it’s Boston’s Little Ball of Hate.
That goal ended up being Marchand’s fourth goal of the season and his 300th career point in the NHL. Congrats to #63 for hitting that milestone.
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Bruins forward Dominic Moore put in the other tally for Boston. He got a shot past Luongo while the B’s were down a man to make the score 2-0 in the second period. Moore’s tally turned out to be all the B’s needed in Sunrise.
Once again, Tuukka Rask was putting on a Vezina-level clinic in net for Boston. The B’s netminder stopped 33 of 34 for his fifth straight win. This brings Rask save percentage up to .961 (good enough for second in the NHL) and his goals against a staggering 1.20 (also good enough for second in the league).
“He looked good tonight and (he’s) the main reason we’re standing here with two points,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien of Rask’s performance after the game.
On the upside, the Bruins had a strong second period against the Panthers. The B’s outshot the Cats 14-7 in the second period. The penalty kill was outstanding, going seven-for-seven. The Bruins are now seventh in the league on the penalty kill, stopping a goal 87.8% of the time while a man down.
On the downside, the Boston Bruins once again playing musical chairs in the penalty box. The Bruins were sent to the box seven times during this game. Adam McQuaid’s penalty gave the Panthers a 6-on-4 advantage in the closing minutes of the game.
The Bruins also couldn’t find pay dirt on any of their four power play opportunities. The Bruins are now dead last on the power play, scoring only 6.3% of the time with a man advantage.