But they are in danger of dropping three in a row on Wednesday as they take on Florida after back-to-back losses to Los Angeles and Tampa Bay. The good news is that they are headed to Sunrise, Fla., to take on the Panthers.
The Bruins have enjoyed their trips to the greater Miami metro area of late, winning five of their last six games there, including both contests at Florida last season. Add in last Thursday's convincing 4-0 victory over the Panthers at the Garden, and Florida might just be exactly the opponent the Bruins would like to face right now to turn things around.
It will still be an emotional matchup, as Bruins forwards Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell play their first games in Sunrise as visitors. They both spent their entire NHL careers with the Panthers before coming to Boston this summer in a blockbuster deal for Dennis Wideman and draft picks. Horton came up big with three assists last week against Florida, and would love to add a few more points in his first game back in his old stomping grounds.
When and Where
Boston Bruins (11-6-2, 24 points) at Florida Panthers (9-10-0, 18 points)
Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m. (NESN)
BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Fla.
Head to Head
This is the second of four meetings this season between the Bruins and Panthers. The Bruins won the first meeting last Thursday 4-0 as Tuukka Rask stopped all 41 shots he faced and Milan Lucic scored a natural hat trick. Boston holds a slim 28-26-6-4 edge in the all-time series, but is 16-12-2-1 on the road.
Goaltending Matchup
Tim Thomas has a 10-1-1 record and leads the league with a 1.49 GAA, .954 save percentage and four shutouts. He's just 4-6-2 with a 3.36 GAA and an .893 save percentage against the Panthers though, which is part of why Rask got the start last Thursday. Rask earned his only win of the year so far against Florida, and is 1-5-1 despite a 2.36 GAA and a .935 save percentage. He's 2-1-0 with an 0.98 GAA and a .966 save percentage against the Panthers.
For the Panthers, Tomas Vokoun is 8-7-0 with a 2.38 GAA, .924 save percentage and two shutouts, and he's had success against the Bruins of late, with a 2.60 GAA, .930 save percentage and two shutouts. Scott Clemmensen is just 1-3-0 with a 3.18 GAA and an .898 save percentage this year, but is 5-3-0 with a 1.98 GAA, .935 save percentage and two shutouts against Boston.
Stat Sheet
Bruins
- The Bruins continue to excel on the penalty kill. They are ranked second in the league at 90.8 percent (8-for-87) for the season. They've been even better than that of late, as they are 13-for-13 over the last three games and 22-of-23 over the past six.
- Bruins rookie Jordan Caron has gone 11 games without a goal, but he did contribute an assist on Monday for his first point in four games. He has 3-3-6 totals and is a plus-4 in 18 games.
- The Bruins' top line of David Krejci, Horton and Lucic wasn't in top form in Tampa on Monday. They combined for no points and just one shot, which came from Krejci in the closing minutes of the third period. The three players were also each a minus-1 as they were on the ice for the Lightning's first goal.
Panthers
- The Panthers are dead last in the NHL on the power play, converting at just 7.5 percent with five goals on 67 chances. They haven't scored a power-play goal since Nov. 10 and come in on an 0-for-26 streak.
- Panthers center Mike Santorelli had just two goals in 32 games in Nashville over the past two seasons, but he's found a home in Florida. He has six goals already in 19 games this year, including five in the last nine games.
- Florida forward Radek Dvorak became the franchise's all-time leader in games played on Monday, appearing in his 574th game with the Panthers. He's played in 1,071 games overall in the NHL, with stints in Florida from 1995-2000 and 2007-10.
Infirmary Report
Bruins
- Center Marc Savard (post-concussion syndrome) remains out indefinitely, but was cleared for contact in practice on Tuesday.
- Left wing Marco Sturm (knee surgery) is expected to be out until at least early December.
- Center Trent Whitfield (ruptures Achilles) could miss the entire year.
Panthers
- Forward Byron Bitz (sports hernia) is on injured reserve.
- Center Mark Cullen (Achilles) is on injured reserve.
- Right wing Steve Bernier (fractured orbital bone) is out indefinitely.
- Defenseman Bryan Allen (lower body) is questionable for Wednesday.
- Forward Rostislav Olesz (broken finger) is out indefinitely.
- Defenseman Jason Garrison (lower body) is questionable for Wednesday.
- Forward Steve Reinprecht (groin) is questionable for Wednesday.
Familiar Faces
The Panthers and Bruins have exchanged players several times in the past year, with Bitz going to Florida in the deal for Dennis Seidenberg at last year's trade deadline and Wideman heading to the Panthers in the trade that brought Horton and Campbell to Boston this summer. Center Marty Reasoner also played briefly for the Bruins as well as at Boston College, while Clemmensen was also a BC Eagle and Chris Higgins played at Yale.
Fight Card
The Panthers are tied for last in the NHL with just four fighting majors in 19 games. Enforcer Darcy Hordichuk has two of those fights, while Wideman and Allen have the other fighting majors. Hordichuk's most recent bout was a slugfest with Shawn Thornton in Boston last week. The Bruins have 19 fighting majors in as many games, but have gone without a fight in back-to-back games for just the second time this season. Thornton, Mark Stuart, Campbell and Adam McQuaid lead the club with three fights each and Lucic has two.
Outlook
The Bruins have fared well on the road this season with a 7-2-0 record, but the second of those losses came Monday in Tampa in the start of this two-game swing through Florida. The Panthers are one game under .500 overall but 5-3-0 at home. They lost to 3-2 Pittsburgh at home on Monday, but won three straight on home ice before that.
The Bruins won three straight games last week and don't want to match that with a three-game losing streak now.
