BOSTON — Entering Saturday, just four points separated third place from sixth place in the NHL’s Atlantic Division.
That made the Bruins’ 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers, in the words of multiple Boston players, a “huge” one.
“(This win was) huge.” winger Zac Rinaldo said. “We want to start breaking away from those teams that are lagging behind us, and we want to show everyone that we’re the team that can stay consistent and break away from those teams behind us.”
The Bruins entered the game in fourth place in the division, a mere one point ahead of the fifth-place Panthers. The win, however, vaulted them past the Ottawa Senators and into third, which, if the season ended today, would guarantee them a playoff spot.
“People say it’s early (in the season),” winger Jimmy Hayes said before the game, “but we’re fighting for a playoff spot here, and they are, I believe it’s a point behind us. So, we’ve got to kind of get some separation and kind of climb the standings for ourselves.”
Some additional notes from Saturday’s game:
— The Bruins have won eight of their last nine games against divisional opponents — a span highlighted by Wednesday’s 3-1 win over the rival Montreal Canadiens. Coach Claude Julien, however, said that win over the Habs wasn’t as significant as many in the media made it out to be.
“I think, to be honest with you, I think you guys made it a bigger deal of that Montreal win than we did,” Julien said after Saturday’s win. “We won that game, and it wasn’t that big of a deal. It was more about, we didn’t feel we were as good as we could have been for two periods, and we were happy that we found a way to win in the third. So you don’t come in here all of a sudden satisfied. I don’t think we were satisfied with the effort, so there was no reason today to be overconfident or riding that win. To us, it was just another win.”
— Tuukka Rask turned in another strong performance in net for Boston, allowing a third-period goal to former teammate Reilly Smith but nothing more in the win.
“Tuukka has been like I think we’re used to seeing him,” Julien said. “He’s been solid, and no doubt he’d love to have that goal back. To me, he played well enough to deserve a shutout this afternoon. But he’s been solid. He’s been good.”
Rask, who finished with 26 saves, has allowed one goal or fewer in each of his last three starts.
“It’s a confidence-builder for everyone, through the D-corps to the forwards, because we have a good goalie standing on his head every game and every night,” Rinaldo said. “That gives us confidence to do what we need to do.”
— The Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday announced the hiring of former Bruins coach Mike Sullivan to replace ousted head coach Mike Johnston.
Center Patrice Bergeron is the only holdover from Sullivan’s tenure in Boston (which lasted from 2003 to 2006), and he was very complimentary of the 47-year-old when asked about the hiring after the game.
“What I can remember is he’s the one who gave me my chance my first year,” Bergeron said. “He’s someone that was, you know, so fair with everyone. It didn’t matter who you were. It was about, you know, earning your ice time and making guys accountable by the way that you were showing up to the rink every day. And I learned a lot from him, and I can’t say enough about him. So, I’m really happy for him.”
Sullivan also played one season for the Bruins, tallying five goals and 13 assists in 1997-98.
Thumbnail photo via Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
