The Boston Bruins showed their resilience and determination as they came back from a 2-0 hole to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 in overtime on Monday night. The Bruins extended their season-opening point streak to nine games, the best start in franchise history.
Zacha scores the winner in overtime
Pavel Zacha was the hero for the Bruins, scoring the game-winning goal at 3:36 of overtime. Zacha, who also had an assist, scored on a wrist shot from the right wing that beat Sergei Bobrovsky past the blocker. Zacha has four goals and six assists in nine games this season, and has been a key contributor for the Bruins’ offense.
Zacha said he was happy to score against the Panthers, who eliminated the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs last season. “This game meant a little bit more. … You just want to beat teams like this, especially after the playoffs. And we’re happy that we won,” he said.
Marchand and McAvoy spark the comeback
The Bruins trailed 2-0 after the first period, as Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart scored for the Panthers. Barkov gave Florida the lead at 6:13 of the first period, shooting over the left pad of Linus Ullmark on a 2-on-1 rush with Reinhart. Reinhart made it 2-0 at 15:08, one-timing Barkov’s pass from behind the net.
The Bruins did not panic, and responded with two goals of their own in the second and third periods. Brad Marchand cut the deficit in half at 3:38 of the second period, tapping in Jake DeBrusk’s centering pass. Charlie McAvoy tied it at 7:20 of the third period, with a deke to the forehand off David Pastrnak’s pass in the slot.
Marchand and McAvoy are both having stellar seasons for the Bruins, leading the team in points with 14 and 13 respectively. Marchand has scored in seven of his nine games, while McAvoy has six goals and seven assists from the blue line.
Ullmark shines in net, Bruins overcome adversity
Ullmark was outstanding for the Bruins, making 35 saves on 37 shots. He kept the Bruins in the game with some timely stops, especially in the third period and overtime. Ullmark improved his record to 6-0-1 this season, with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
Ullmark said he was motivated by last year’s playoff loss to the Panthers, and wanted to prove himself against them. “Obviously, we all know what happened last year. This was going to be a little bit more of an emotional game — for us, at least,” he said.
The Bruins also had to overcome some adversity, as they lost defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to an injury in the first period, and McAvoy to a game misconduct in the third period. McAvoy was ejected for elbowing Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the head, resulting in a five-minute power play for the Panthers. The Bruins killed off the penalty with some solid defense and goaltending, and reached overtime.
Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy praised his team’s effort and character, saying they showed their toughness and will to win. “It was an important win, especially after last year,” he said. “We had some guys step up and play big minutes for us. We found a way to get it done.”
