Long before the Boston Bruins boarded a flight for South Florida to take on the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Thursday night, they knew they were going to be facing a banged-up team. Florida has dealt with injuries all season long, and they have shut down a handful of players, including Bruins captain Brad Marchand.
Winner of four straight games, the Bruins were looking to begin a four-game road trip on the right note against a banged-up team. On paper, this looked like it should have been two points in the back pocket of the Black and Gold with a difficult back-to-back coming up over the weekend. Instead, in typical Bruins fashion in 2025-26, it was another game added to a list of games where it was a disappointing result. Head coach Marco Sturm wasn't happy after the game either.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm doesn't hold back after loss to Panthers
As has been the case a number of times this season, the Bruins dug themselves an early 2-0 hole, but this time, they were not able to come out of it. Fraser Minten scored a late first-period goal, but Sergei Bobrovsky turned back everything else Boston threw at him, or they missed the net, in a 2-1 Florida victory. After the game, the first-year head coach showed his frustration when talking with NESN color analyst Andy Brickley.
Marco Sturm after tonight's loss to the Panthers
— NESN (@NESN) April 3, 2026
"We saw a lot of guys out, and we didn't respect the [reigning] Stanley Cup champions." 😳 pic.twitter.com/xKOuaN0T47
Listen, he's not wrong, but these are professional players. Just because the roster might have been littered at the bottom with American Hockey League (AHL) players doesn't mean it's going to be two points in the bank. They're still NHL players. There are also enough veterans sprinkled in throughout the roster that made an impact.
Florida is going to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs, while the Bruins are fighting to get in. They are six points clear of the Eastern Conference cut line, but they face three very difficult road games over the next six days. Nothing is given, and everything is earned in the NHL, but these slow starts and playing down to their competition's level are not a recipe for success for the Boston Bruins this season. It showed against the Panthers in a brutal regulation loss late in the season.