BOSTON — The Boston Bruins were well on their way to blowing out the Florida Panthers on Monday, until things got a little murky in the second period.
Yes, the Bruins finished with a 7-3 win over the Panthers. But, there was a point in the game where Florida scored three-consecutive goals to cut Boston’s lead to one, striking some fear into the hearts of the TD Garden crowd. Sam Reinhart, Eric Staal and Carter Verhaeghe combined for the goals, all coming in a stretch of under six minutes and erasing a commanding lead for the Bruins.
It was at that moment Bruins coach Jim Montgomery thought of burning his timeout, but he thought better of it.
“I think we got a little loose in our game,” Montgomery said postgame. “I think we were playing for offense instead of playing on the right side of pucks. I think if we had a younger team I probably would have called timeout, but the leadership we have, they’re saying the right things on the bench. It’s not like I can call a timeout and say anything better. We’re lucky to have the leaders we have.”
That leadership group of captain Patrice Bergeron and alternate captains Brad Marchand and David Krejci were especially crucial in the winning effort. Not only did they provide the words needed to inspire Boston to put a stop to Florida’s comeback attempt, but they combined for three goals and five assists between the three of them.
This formula, however, is not something the Bruins can expect to keep up if they want to continue their winning ways.
“With the season being so long, you’re going to have times where your team is on top of their game and times where they’re not,” Montgomery said. “I think everyone in our room recognizes that we’re probably not great (all) 200 feet for 60 minutes right now. But, it seems like we are in spurts and we pull away.
“It’s not ideal, but you have to be somewhat realistic in (knowing you will) go through moments like this. If we can learn as we win it’s better than learning as you lose.”
Here are more notes from Monday’s Bruins-Panthers game:
— Marchand assisted on three of the Bruins’ seven goals Monday, bringing his season point total to 26 in 23 games played. Montgomery spoke about how he’s helped Boston since returning to its lineup.
“I thought he was our best player in the first period,” Montgomery said. “I thought he was all over the place. I thought he was building momentum. The first four and a half minutes of the game, there was a faceoff like every 20 seconds so it was hard to get into a rhythm. I thought he did that.”
— The Panthers outpaced the Bruins in shots, 39-26. So despite giving up three goals, Linus Ullmark only saw his save percentage drop from .938 to .937.
— Bergeron finished with two goals and two assists, his first four-point night since April 28, 2022.
— The Bruins will wrap up their season-long homestand Thursday when they take on the Winnipeg Jets at TD Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
