Lee Stempniak saved the Boston Bruins from complete and utter disaster Monday night, scoring in overtime to secure a 5-4 victory over the Florida Panthers.
The Bruins scored four times in the first period and held two three-goal leads, but the Panthers rallied for three consecutive goals and kept Boston off the board for the final two periods to force overtime.
The win, which kicked off a pivotal back-to-back against Atlantic Division opponents, was the 388th of coach Claude Julien’s Bruins tenure, setting a new franchise record.
Patrice Bergeron scored twice for the B’s, and Tuukka Rask finished with a season-high 47 saves.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Stempniak received a pass from Ryan Spooner and fired a shot past Panthers backup goalie Al Montoya with one minute remaining in the extra session.
It was Stempniak’s first goal in a Bruins uniform.
DEJA VU
Bergeron opened the scoring just 35 seconds after puck drop, marking the second time in three games he’s scored within the first two minutes of the first period.
His second goal, which came 37 seconds after Florida’s first, extended Boston’s lead to 4-1 late in the first and spelled the end of the night for Roberto Luongo. The Panthers goaltender was yanked during first intermission, with Montoya handling netminding duties for the remainder of the game.
Bergeron (six goals in six games) has been red-hot of late, and his line has been, as well. He, Brad Marchand and trade-deadline addition Stempniak have combined for 17 points in their first four games together, with Marchand and Stempniak each contributing two assists Monday.
David Pastrnak and Brett Connolly also added first-period goals for the Bruins, while Aleksander Barkov provided Florida’s lone tally in the frame. Rookie Noel Acciari assisted on Connolly’s goal for his first NHL point.
NOT SO FAST
Leading by three goals after one period, the B’s seemed to be in line for an easy victory. That was not the case, however, as the Panthers came storming back in the second.
Jiri Hudler and Jussi Jokinen both scored in the first seven minutes of the period to cut Boston’s lead to one, and Montoya did not face his first shot until the 12:17 mark of the frame. Florida outshot Boston 18-5 over the 20 minutes and entered the third period trailing 4-3.
Bruins coach Claude Julien shook up his line combinations in the second, moving Connolly up to the second line and dropping Pastrnak to the fourth.
The period also featured two after-the-whistle incidents, with Adam McQuaid dropping the gloves with former Bruins bruiser Shawn Thornton and Zdeno Chara and Jonathan Huberdeau later going off for matching roughing minors.
Thornton’s fight, which came shortly before the Panthers’ goal-scoring flurry, was his first against a former Bruins teammate.
FORCING OT
Boston’s defense stabilized in the third period, and the Bruins stayed out of the penalty box, but Hudler scored the lone goal in the final frame to force overtime.
HIS LEGEND GROWS
Jaromir Jagr assisted on Barkov’s first-period goal, pushing him past Gordie Howe and into sole possession of third place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list.
LINEUP NOTES
Defenseman Kevan Miller did not make the trip after suffering an upper body injury in Saturday’s overtime loss to the Washington Capitals. Zach Trotman replaced him in the lineup after sitting out the previous eight games as a healthy scratch. … Chara missed morning skate but played one day after attending the birth of his twin sons.
UP NEXT
The Bruins head to Tampa Bay on Tuesday for another crucial divisional matchup. With the Lightning losing to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, a win would thrust Boston into first place in the Atlantic for the first time all season.
Thumbnail photo via Robert Mayer/USA TODAY Sports Images
