How Gritty Plays From Bruins’ Best Players Sparked Panthers Win

The Bruins pay Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak very handsomely to do many things, but they are millionaires many times over mainly because of their ability to put the puck in the net. As such, it’s no surprise Boston’s duo of skilled forwards leads the team in points this season.

On Tuesday night in Sunrise, Fla., though, Boston needed more than just the finishing touch from both. Bruins coach Jim Montgomery challenged his team at practice Monday following a pair of losses, and the B’s responded with a gutsy 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers to open a two-game, two-night swing through the Sunshine State.

And yes, a look at the score sheet does indicate both Pastrnak and Marchand contributed — the former with a goal and an assist (pushing him over 100 points for the season) and the latter chipped in with an assist of his own. However, both players led the charge in other ways, too, doing things on the ice that didn’t necessarily show up in the box score to help set the tone in a potential playoff preview for the Black and Gold.

On Boston’s first goal, Pastrnak’s willingness to take the body in a greasy area helped keep alive the play that ultimately led to Charlie McAvoy’s game-tying tally. Pastrnak was first on a puck shoveled down the boards by Matt Grzelcyk, securing possession on the goal line. The skilled winger then embraced the contact, delivering a reverse hit on Matthew Tkachuk in the corner. Tkachuk fell to the ice, allowing Pastrnak to maintain possession before Pavel Zacha was able to dig it out and lead to the McAvoy goal.

“He did (make that play), absolutely. And that’s the kind of effort you need, physically and then also the second and third effort to win races to the net to also make plays,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery told reporters in a postgame press conference.

On Boston’s second goal, it was an unsurprisingly relentless forecheck from Marchand that led to Pastrnak burying his 45th of the season. At the end of a lengthy shift, Marchand maneuvered around Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola to get deep in the Florida zone on the forecheck. The Bruins captain then harassed Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis behind the Florida cage, delivering a shoulder into the blueliner before throwing the body on Carter Verhaege along the wall. Pastrnak, to his credit, tied up Mikkola just long enough for McAvoy to pinch down the right wall where he secured the puck and delivered it to Pastrnak in front for the goal — just as Marchand stepped off the ice to end an action-packed 49-second shift.

“His forecheck, he wasn’t going to be denied there, creates the turnover that leads to the goal,” Montgomery added.

Generally speaking, Montgomery was encouraged by the effort not just from his two best players but everyone on the roster Tuesday night.

“I just liked the way our team kept competing,” he said. We battled for each other. We were in each battle together. All five guys stuck together, and that’s what we need. … You gotta win in the trenches if you’re gonna win in the playoffs. You gotta win at the net front, you gotta win wall battles, you gotta win (at) the blue lines, and you gotta win at the goal lines.”

Boston will try to keep the momentum Wednesday night when it completes its Florida swing against the Tampa Bay Lightning. NESN’s full coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET.