FINAL: Bruins 4, Panthers 3 - Zacha scores go ahead goal which gave Boston their first lead in big win taken at BSJ Headquarters (Bruins)

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FINAL: Bruins 4, Panthers 3 - Zacha scores go ahead goal which gave Boston their first lead in big win

By Reed Becker

Mar 26, 2024 • 6:24 pm

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The Bruins defeated the Florida Panthers 4-3 in a wild back-and-forth game. The Bruins did not have the lead until Pavel Zacha scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period. With this win, the Bruins are back in first place in the Atlantic Division. 

I thought that the Bruins got off to a bad start as the Panthers were out hustling Boston and the Bruins struggled to get the puck out of their zone. It became apparent in the second period that the Bruins became more aggressive and did not let Florida bully them and were able to fight back. Trent Frederic scored on the power play in the third period to tie the game at three.

 This came after the Panthers scored a little earlier to take a 3-2 lead. At first, I thought that would've been it but to my surprise, the Bruins were able to keep fighting. Zacha came up big with a late goal in the third which wound up being the game-winner. 

Something else that caught my eye tonight was David Pastrnak scoring his 45th goal of the season which tied the game at two in the second period. However, what stood out more was that was Pastrnak's 100th point of the season. It is his second consecutive season where he has 100 points. The goal from Pastrnak does not start without a great pass from Charlie McAvoy.

The Bruins will be back in action in a back-to-back on Wednesday night in Tampa Bay to face the Lightning at 7:30 p.m. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • The Bruins retake first place in the Atlantic Division. 
  • The Bruins were able to fight back and stood up to the Panthers starting in the second period. 
  • Pastrnak now has 100 points on the season, his second consecutive season with 100 points. 

 THREE STARS OF THE GAME: 

3. Sam Reinhart (One goal)

2. David Pastrnak (One goal and an assist)

1. Pavel Zacha (One goal and an assist)





_________________________________

WHO: Bruins (41-16-15) at Panthers (46-20-5)
WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. 
TV: NESN
RADIO: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub
LIVE BOX SCORE
ROSTERS


PROJECTED LINES
BOSTON
 Marchand –  Coyle –  DeBrusk
 Heinen –  Zacha –  Pastrnak
 Lauko –  Geekie –  Frederic
 Beecher –  Boqvist –  Brazeau
 Grzelcyk –  McAvoy
 Lindholm –  Carlo
 Wotherspoon –  Peeke
 Swayman
 Ullmark


PANTHERS

 Rodrigues –  Barkov –  Tarasenko

 Verhaeghe –  Bennett –  Tkachuk

 Luostarinen –  Lundell –  Reinhart

 Cousins –  Stenlund –  Lorentz

 Forsling –  Montour

 Mikkola –  Balinskis
 Ekman-Larsson –  Kulikov
 Bobrovsky
 Stolarz

PREGAME NOTES
The Bruins visit the Florida Panthers tonight at 7 p.m. in a fight for first place in the Atlantic Division. Both teams enter tonight tied atop the Atlantic Division with 97 points. 

The Bruins can clinch a playoff spot with a win and a Detroit loss to Washington in regulation tonight. “Tonight’s first place for both teams, should be a great hockey game tonight,”  Jim Montgomery told reporters on what he wants to see from his team tonight. Boston has suffered two consecutive losses in regulation for the first time since December. 

Johnny Beecher will return to the lineup tonight for the Bruins in place of James Van Riemsdyk after missing the game in Philadelphia on Saturday. Parker Wotherspoon will sub in for Mason Lohrei on the back end, while Kevin Shattenkirk will be a healthy scratch. Justin Brazeau has been on a tear lately tallying goals in three consecutive games. He now has five goals in 15 games. "He’s making subtle plays…he’s just someone who executes and makes plays coming out of our D-zone, on the wall, supporting pucks as the weak-side winger,” Jim Montgomery said. “The report was, could he play at the NHL speed? The more he’s been in the NHL, the faster he looks. That’s the sign of a smart hockey player, who when you get to another level, there’s always an adjustment to speed. Sometimes guys can’t make that adjustment, he’s made it,” Montgomery continued. 

The Bruins face a Florida team that is coming off a 4-1 win over the Flyers on Sunday, ending a four-game skid. Sam Reinhart  leads the Panthers with 50 goals and 83 points this season.  Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe and Aleksander Barkov have all hit the 60-point mark on the season. Barkov, who missed three games with an injury, and Gustav Forsling, (missed two games with an illness) will be back in the lineup. Meanwhile, Defenseman Aaron Ekblad, (out since March 9th with a lower-body injury) remains sidelined. 


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