Final, Bruins 3-0: That’s it and that’s all as the Bruins get back on the winning track with a win over the lowly Panthers.
Third period, 18:38, Bruins 3-0: That should do it, and the Bruins’ skid should be just about over.
Brad Marchand just added an empty-net goal to give Boston a 3-0 lead with a little more than a minute to play.
Third period, 17:30, Bruins 2-0: The Zdeno Chara penalty has been killed off.
Third period, 14:45, Bruins 2-0: Zdeno Chara looked to be a little shaken up after a collision with Florida’s Jonathan Huberdeau. The Bruins captain got up slowly before skating off the ice. Adding insult to injury was the fact that Chara was called for interference, and he was forced to skate off to the penalty box.
The good news, of course is that Chara went to the box and not to the dressing room.
Third period, 11:26, Bruins 2-0: Honestly, there’s not a lot going on here in the third period, which is probably good news for the Bruins and their two-goal lead.
It’s worth noting that Jaromir Jagr is having a terrific game. He’s all over the place, and he’s creating chances for himself and his teammates. It’s also worth noting that he’s 41 years old and played 24 hours ago.
Third period, 6:06, Bruins 2-0: No score change here in the first few minutes of the third period, but Milan Lucic continues to be a focal point.
Upon checking the official event summary on NHL.com, I just noticed that Lucic is still being used sporadically in his return to the lineup. He’s got a team-low in ice time so far, but he’s starting to throw his weight around some. He just delivered a big check to T.J. Brennan in the corner that led to a turnover and a scoring chance for the Bruins. That’s what you need out of him right now.
Third period, 0:40, Bruins 2-0: The third period is underway.
Second period reaction: That seemed to be a much more complete, full period from the Bruins in the second.
They were much more crisp with their passing, engaged in the physical game and doing the little things like going to the net during the middle period. It may not have paid off like they wanted it to with just a lone goal in the period, but it’s encouraging. Claude Julien talked earlier about his frustration with his club’s tendency to make opposing goalies look good as of late. So far, it’s been Jacob Markstrom who actually does look good, and he’s keeping Florida in this game, despite some improved offense from the Bruins. While they put 40 shots on net Saturday, not many of them were legitimate scoring chances. This game has featured many more actual chances, but Markstom has been there to make a few really big saves.
Milan Lucic played much better in the second period than he did in the first period, in my opinion. He looked more engaged physically, and he was moving his feet more. It’s a simple style of game, but it’s one that’s been nonexistent for the big forward far too many times this season. Now he needs to keep doing that and put it together for longer stretches of time. He almost had a goal in the second period, but Markstom denied his second-chance attempt with one of the better saves we’ve seen in this game.
End second period, Bruins 2-0: The second period is over, with the Bruins holding the 2-0 lead.
Second period, 19:00, Bruins 2-0: Nothing doing on the power play for the Bruins. In fact, it was a pretty forgettable power play, one of their ugliest in a while.
Second period, 16:32, Bruins 2-0: Jaromir Jagr is having another nice gaem, and he’s the reason the Bruins have a power play.
He just came out of the Boston zone with a head of steam and ended up being tripped by Filip Kuba, and the B’s go back on the man-advantage.
Second period, 15:04, Bruins 2-0: Milan Lucic has been better here in the second period, and he almost extended the lead to 3-0.
Lucic crashed the net and tried to put home the rebound of an Andrew Ference shot, but Jacob Markstom also turned away Lucic’s rebound bid after making the pad save on Ference.
Second period, 13:23, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins’ fourth line has been reunited this afternoon, and they have been arguably the best line for the B’s.
They were just on the ice for the second Boston goal and played a big part as well. Dougie Hamilton scored, but his shot from the point was made possible by great hustle from Shawn Thornton who tipped the puck back to the point.
Second period, 11:10, Bruins 1-0: Tuukka Rask continues to play well in this one, despite a shaky moment a few minutes ago. Rask tried to glove a shot from the high point, but he couldn’t control it and dropped the puck. Luckily for the Bruins, Rask was also able to turn away the rebound attempt to keep the B’s lead intact.
Second period, 7:51, Bruins 1-0: The Panthers just registered their first shot of the period, with the Bruins outshooting them 10-1 here in the second.
Second period, 7:35, Bruins 1-0: The power play comes to an end without a goal for the Bruins, but they kept the pressure on and may get some momentum out of the man-advantage.
That is a very good sign, but they must continue to sustain that.
Second period, 5:18, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins look like someone lit a fire under them, and they have come out strong here in the second period.
The hard work paid off as they get a power play after Jonathan Huberdeau gets a hooking penalty.
Second period, 3:33, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins were able to kill off the Rich Peverley slashing penalty, which is good news considering how their penalty kill has looked as of late.
Second period, 0:01, Bruins 1-0: The second period is underway with the Bruins attempting to kill off what’s left of Rich Peverley’s penalty.
First period reaction: It was obviously good for the Bruins to get that early goal, but they didn’t have much to show for after that.
It was a good, quick start for a Bruins team that might have come out looking tired given the long week and the quick turnaround. However, they were on the Panthers in the early going, and that culminated with the Jaromir Jagr goal. However, the Bruins kind of fell back to earth after that, and they weren’t very impressive. They managed only seven shots on goal, and they look like they’re having some real issues moving the puck, especially out of their own zone and into the neutral zone. That all amounted to six Bruins turnovers in the first period.
Tuukka Rask was a bright spot for the Bruins in the first period. His save on Drew Shore was one of the best we’ve seen the Boston goalie make as of late, and he made a couple of other real nice pad saves to ensure the B’s held onto the lead through the first period. Rask stopped all 10 shots he faced in the first period.
End first period, Bruins 1-0: The first period comes to an end with the Bruins holding the 1-0 lead. They will have to kill off 47 seconds of the Rich Peverley penalty when play resumes in the second.
First period, 18:47, Bruins 1-0: Florida will get the first power play of the afternoon.
Rich Peverley was just given a slashing minor.
First period, 14:46, Bruins 1-0: It should be a 1-1 game, but Tuukka Rask made his save of the game.
The Bruins goalie robbed Drew Shore on a point-blank chance from just in front of the net. Rask got his left pad out to make the save.
First period, 10:53, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins have started to slow some here in the first period, and they’re starting to look a little sloppy and disjointed.
Luckily for them, the Panthers aren’t really making them pay.
I’ve spent a lot of time watching Milan Lucic in the first period, and I’ve got to say, he hasn’t really done anything that impressive. He’s just kind of out there so far, and he did have a giveaway in the Florida zone a few shifts ago.
First period, 7:43, Bruins 1-0: More of the same from the Bruins here in the early going. The B’s are doing a good job of putting the pressure on the Panthers, but they still only have the one goal to show for.
They came close to adding a second one when Brad Marchand tipped a shot in front, and then couldn’t backhome the rebound off of the Jacob Markstrom save.
The Bruins only have three registered shots on goal, but they are doing a pretty good job of forechecking and making it difficult for Florida to get anything going the other way.
First period, 3:03, Bruins 1-0: We’re still in the middle of a delay as some work is done on the glass, which some rambunctious fan must have jarred loose in the goal celebration.
First period, 3:03, Bruins 1-0: That was arguably Jaromir Jagr’s best shift as a Bruin, and the B’s take an early lead.
Jagr ended up stealing the puck twice from a Panthers defenseman, and on the second one, he beat Jacob Markstrom with a devastating wrist shot from the slot to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
First period, 0:01, 0-0: The game is underway with the Bruins starting with the fourth line.
12:20 p.m.: If you’re looking for the Bruins game on NESN, you’re not going to find it unfortunately. Instead, you’ll have to switch on over to NESNplus. You can find your local NESNplus listings by clicking here.
12:15 p.m.: Forgot to mention this earlier, but the Panthers did a nice job of honoring Boston in their trip to the Hub. The Panthers wore “Boston Strong” T-shirts before hitting the ice for pregame warmups, and when they did come out for warmups, they had Boston Police Department hats on.
12:13 p.m.: Pregame warmups are wrapping up at the moment, and this is how the Bruins will roll their lines, according to said pregame warmups.
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Tyler Seguin
Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Rich Peverley
Carl Soderberg — Chris Kelly — Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton
It also looks like Wade Redden will be reinserted to the Bruins’ lineup in place of Matt Bartkowski.
12 p.m.: Here’s something a little interesting and surprising given the fact the Bruins played 24 hours ago. Tuukka Rask, who started Saturday’s game, led the Bruins out for pregame warmups. That would seem to indicate he’s the starting goalie for this one as well.
Jacob Markstrom will get the start for the Panthers.
11:35 a.m.: We just returned up to Level 9 at the Garden after taking in Claude Julien’s pregame media session.
The big news is that both Adam McQuaid and Nathan Horton will not play in this one. Both players are being listed as day-to-day, with McQuaid suffering from a lower-body injury and Horton dealing with an upper-body injury.
Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton, who were both scratched for Saturday’s game, will return to the lineup against the Panthers.
This is obviously a big (and perhaps unexpected) chance for Lucic. He’s supposed to be a big part of this team, and just as important as finally sitting him down was, it will be even more important to see how he responds when he returns in this one. There’s really no excuse at this point for him not to come out and play fired-up hockey. Julien has plenty of options up front, and maybe we’re looking at a possibility of Lucic sitting in the playoffs, especially if Horton is healthy. This is a big day for No. 17.
11 a.m.: Welcome back into TD Garden where we’re about 90 minutes from puck drop for Bruins-Panthers. A long (shortened) season gets even busier, as the B’s wrap up what is their first of two back-to-backs in the following week.
Boston was supposed to be done with back-to-backs, but due to unforeseen circumstances surrounding last week’s tragic events, the Bruins were forced to schedule a pair of back-to-backs. The next back-to-back will come next weekend when the Bruins are in Washington on Saturday night before returning home to take on Ottawa on Sunday night in the season finale.
9 a.m.: As the Bruins will surely tell you, there truly is no rest for the weary. The B’s, who are 0-3-1 in their last four, have another short turnaround as they prepare to take on the Florida Panthers on Sunday afternoon.
Boston was originally scheduled to have Saturday off, but given Friday’s events in the Boston area, that game was postponed until Saturday afternoon. That means another back-to-back for the B’s who are coming off of a 3-2 loss to the Penguins on Saturday afternoon.
It’s unfortunate timing for the Bruins in particular, as they’re trying to get some things straightened out before the playoffs. The postseason is just a week away, and Boston is still trying to find some consistency. They will have undoubtedly have a chance to work on some things in the coming game, with Sunday’s game beginning a three-game stretch against the Eastern Conference’s also-rans in Florida, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay.
Once again, however, the lineup may be up in the air. Nathan Horton left Saturday’s game early with an apparent injury. Claude Julien offered no update following the game, but we should obviously know more by Sunday. If Horton can’t go, that might open the door for Milan Lucic to return to the lineup after he was a healthy scratch Saturday afternoon.
Puck drop from the Garden is slated for 12:30 p.m.
