BOSTON — Years from now, when we look back at a highlight reel of Roberto Luongo’s best NHL moments, there’s a good chance none of them will have happened at TD Garden.
The Florida Panthers’ starting goaltender entered the 2014-15 season with an 0-4-0 record, an .816 save percentage and a 6.35 goals against average in his last four starts in Boston (including the playoffs).
That record dropped to 0-5-0 with a 2-1 overtime defeat to the Bruins on Tuesday night.
After Patrice Bergeron tied the score 1-1 with a second-period goal, Bruins fans begun chants of “Luongo, Luongo.” It was the same one heard during the 2011 Stanley Cup Final when Luongo gave up 15 goals and was pulled twice in three losses at TD Garden.
“I didn’t think it was that bad,” Luongo said when asked about the crowd’s reaction. “That’s a long time ago. I’m not worried about that anymore. I’ve moved on. It’s a fun building to play in so I always look forward to coming here.”
In fairness to Luongo, he played pretty well Tuesday. The veteran netminder stopped 23 of 25 shots and made a number of clutch saves in the final two periods when the Bruins began to control the tempo of the game. Brad Marchand scored the game-winner in overtime, but most of the blame for that goal should be placed on Florida’s defensemen who gave little resistance to the Bruins winger.
“It was a hard-fought battle,” Luongo said. “It’s a tough building to play in. We battled hard again. We were very disciplined. We didn’t take any penalties tonight, which was really good. It came down to overtime. Their guy made a hell of a play on the goal. Maybe I was a little too deep, but hell of a play and hell of a shot there. It’s a good point for us, but obviously we want more than that.”
— Boston improved its record to 2-4-0 when trailing first this season. Panthers forward Jussi Jokinen opened the scoring in the first period with his 150th career goal.
— Marchand has scored four goals in his last three games and leads the team with five tallies on the season.
“He’s a good player, man,” Panthers forward Shawn Thornton said. “One-on-one, he’s one of the best in the league. You give him a little time and space and he can make things happen. That wasn’t the first time tonight that he made plays with the puck. From what I hear he has been playing better and better as the season goes on. It was a nice shot by him.”
— Thornton’s return to Boston after spending seven seasons with the Bruins and winning a Stanley Cup with the team in 2011 was the focal point for much of Tuesday’s game. The Bruins honored Thornton with a video tribute on the jumbotron.
“To get a standing ovation in a visiting arena is pretty special and I appreciate it,” Thornton said. “The fans have always been great to me here and again tonight. It’s pretty nice.”
— Bruins defenseman Joe Morrow played well in his third career NHL game. He tallied four shots on goal (the most among B’s defensemen) in a career-high 18:05 of ice time.
“I feel like I progressively get a little better, a little more comfortable as the night goes on and each game, if that,” Morrow said. “The main thing is just to keep progressing, keep getting better, day in and day out. So, that’s what I’m trying to focus to do: keep it simple and live it day to day by now.
— The Bruins haven’t lost a game that has ended in overtime or a shootout this season (two OT wins, one shootout victory).
— Panthers forward Scottie Upshall played in his 500th career NHL game, while forward Jimmy Hayes appeared in his 100th career NHL game.
— Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad — the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft — picked up an assist on Jokinen’s first-period goal. Ekblad has three points in his last five games.
Photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
