Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers Looking To Continue Success Against Bruins

Last season, the Boston Bruins were the best team in the NHL and the Florida Panthers defeated them in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Fast forward to this season and the Bruins are once again at the top of the Eastern Conference standings at 7-0-1 while the Panthers, nursing plenty of injuries, find themselves toward the bottom of the pack with a record of 4-3-0.

Regardless of the standings, both teams and their fans have surely circled the date on the calendar for the first meeting of the two franchises of the season. That night is finally upon us as the Bruins host the Panthers on Monday night at TD Garden.

The Bruins will want revenge while the Panthers will hope to play spoilers again.

“It’s always fun playing in that building,” Carter Verhaeghe told Jameson Olive prior to the Panthers three-game road trip. “They have some pretty crazy fans. That building gets pretty loud. Definitely some good memories in that building. It could’ve gone either way.”

Bruins fans will remember Verhaeghe as the Panther who ended the series when he potted the game-winning goal in overtime of Game 7. Along with Verhaeghe, Matthew Tkachuk became a villain of sorts during the series and then revived the role when he threw shade at the Bruins even before the season started.

Not only did Tkachuk control a lot of the Panthers’ physical game against the Bruins, but also led the team with 11 points in the series He will surely look to continue his success in Boston.

“With the summer being so quick, you had a little bit of time to reflect, but not a ton. That was last season, but definitely going back there, I’m sure it’ll bring a smile to my face stepping on that rink,” Tkachuk told Olive. “Playing a team that you played in the playoffs a year before, there’s definitely a little extra there. We’re excited to go back there. We’ve had some success there as of late. They’re such a great hockey team. They’re off to another unbelievable start. We’re going to have to play a really, really perfect road game.”

Puck drop from TD Garden on Monday is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. You can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.