In Boston, the Bruins were looking for some level of pay back with the Florida Panthers on Monday night.
Pavel Zacha gave them some relief when he scored 3″36 into extra time to defeat the Panthers, 3-2.
“I was looking if we were going 2-on-1, and kind of on the way there I was looking if there was going to be a chance to pass,” Zacha said. “But then the [defense] kind of went away, so I was just looking at where it was open in the far side, and I’m happy that I did it low blocker there.”
The Panthers had taken a 2-0 lead in the first period, but were unable to build off the advantage.
“They’ve (Barkov and Reinhart) got just a nice bit of chemistry,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “It’s not a particularly heavy line, but it’s very smart.”
Linus Ullmark made 35 saves in the Boston win.
“That’s why it was so good for us that we never gave them the momentum,” Ullmark said. “We always [got] the puck out in 15, 20 seconds, so they always have to redo it or break out and come in. And then maybe there’s a face-off or whatever, so we kept them away from establishing something. And like I said, I’ve got to give all the credit to the [penalty kill] guys. They [did] a tremendous job throughout the game, not just that five-minute one.”
Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart were the first period strikers for Florida.
“We have good periods and bad periods, but obviously, it’s early in the season,” Barkov said. “But we want to establish that game, that we’re playing [an] even 60 minutes as hard as possible, not just 20 minutes or 40 minutes. I know [Boston is] a good team, they’re first place, so if you give them chances, they’re going to score.”
The Bruins have points in nine straight games to open the season.
Boston’s Brad Marchand scored at 3:38 of the middle frame to cut into the deficit at 2-1.
“We started supporting each other better,” Marchand said. “Allowed us to still come up with pucks after, you know, when they’re playing physical, and kept moving it forward and kind of catching them coming the wrong way, so it was working for us.”
Charlie McAvoy scored at 7:20 of the third to tie the game, 2-2, forcing the extra session.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves in the loss.
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