Brad Marchand gave a captain’s answer to the question as to whether coming back to beat the Florida Panthers was satisfying beyond what it would have meant against anyone else.
He broke it down to the facts, most notably that winning a game against Florida in October cannot change what happened last April (when the Bruins lost their grip on series and Game 5 and 7 leads). There is no such thing as revenge or avenge, and, Marchand added, a month later the Panthers were in the same exact position as the Bruins in having failed to reach their goal. Only one team wins the Stanley Cup, he said, and everyone else lost.
Should we buy it? There are two kinds of emotion, the we-hate-those-guys so of course winning feels good mentality, but good on Marchand, who has more than enough savvy to avoid a single word that would suggest Monday night’s 3-2 overtime win can in any way take the edge off last spring’s disappointing finish.
Now, onto the ramifications.
The Bruins are probably down two defensemen with divisional rival Toronto coming to TD Garden on Thursday night. Matt Grzelcyk left the game during the first period with what coach Jim Montgomery called an upper-body injury that will probably cost him a couple of weeks. Charlie McAvoy, meanwhile, is probably looking at a couple of games for his hit on Florida defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson late in the third period.
McAvoy, who received a major penalty and a 10-minute misconduct that effectively ended his night, stepped up and into Ekman-Larsson after the lanky left shot played the puck. Ekman-Larsson was eligible, but history in the judgment of the NHL’s Dept. of Player Safety lends anticipation that McAvoy will be criticized for failing to hit Ekman-Larsson squarely through the body. His elbow stays low, but his shoulder catches Ekman-Larsson’s head in a glancing manner.
Should the Bruins be without their top pairing, they will need a left shot and a right shot, and the respective AHL recalls seem to be Mason Lohrei (the last cut) and Ian Mitchell.
In the freak-accident dept., Florida center Sam Bennett sustained a skate cut on his left calf after getting tangled up with Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who looked like he was trying to climb around the hunched-over Bennett while defending at the right post. When Lindholm went to plant his right skate, Bennett seemed to shimmy and Lindholm’s skate came down on Bennett’s leg rather than the ice. On the heels of the tragic death of former Penguins forward Adam Johnson, any skate-blade accident is pause for concern.
A couple of words on the game itself, followed by the period-by-period summary: If not for Linus Ullmark (37 shots, 35 stops), the Bruins would have been in a deeper hole than the 2-0 hole they eventually dug out of.
Pavel Zacha, criticized in this space after the loss to Anaheim last Thursday night, played his second straight excellent game. Coach Jim Montgomery moved things around just to refresh some players, and the move paid off. Zacha made two terrific offensive plays, one a relay that led to McAoy’s game-tying goal 7:20 into the third period, the other his streak down right wing and left-shot snapper past Sergei Bobrovsky that sent TD Garden into delirium.
Matt Poitras has now played his allowable nine NHL games before the next one triggers a year in the books for the purposes of establishing his career calendar. One more NHL game, and Poitras’ future is set where it concerns his year for free agency and the intermittent steps in between.
Theoretically, the Bruins could still send Poitras back to Guelph (Ontario Hockey League), but no one expects that given his steady progress and ability to continue building on his NHL experience rather than get worn out by it.
“I’ve been told I’ve been too effusive in my compliments,” said Montgomery after the game. He indicated the Bruins will make an announcement on Tuesday. Sounds like the Bruins will be making a few announcements on Tuesday.
GAME SUMMARY
OVERTIME
Brad Marchand had Boston’s best chance until Pavel Zacha had a better one, racing down right wing and beating Sergei Bobrovsky cleanly at 3:36 of overtime to give the Bruins a 3-2, comeback win over the pesky Florida Panthers tonight at TD Garden.
THIRD PERIOD
The first seven minutes of the third period were intense, and the crowd got involved when Niko Mikkola separated a Bruin from his stick, then Uvis Balinskis reached up with his free hand and scuffed Trent Frederic’s mug.
Charlie McAvoy tied it 7:20 into the third period on a gorgeous relay from David Pastrnak, who had taken a nifty cross-ice pass from Pavel Zacha on the breakout.
McAvoy then made an aggressive mistake, skating through the slot and clipping Ekman-Larsson with a glancing head shot. Replays showed it not to be a late hit as Ekman-Larsson played the puck, but his gangly body was too hard to cleanly hit through as required by NHL Dept. of Player Safety, and this one could wind up in a suspension, albeit two game maximum I would anticipate.
In real time, McAvoy got a five-minute major and a 10-minute misconduct (served by Steen). Ullmark made a point-blank stop on Reinhart and several other saves. Thanks mostly to Ullmark, the Bruins got the kill. Thanks mostly to Ullmark, they are in the game at 2-2 with 4:45 remaining in regulation.
SECOND PERIOD
The Bruins came out more determined and more aggressive in the second. Poitras had a solid shift, then Morgan Geekie gave Nick Cousins a seat on his own bench.
Kevin Stenlund tripped McAvoy in the slot and no call.
Jake DeBrusk announced himself with a power move to the backhand, and Brad Marchand put home the pass, outmuscling Gustav Forsling for position and getting Boston on the board at 3:38 of the period. 2-1 Florida. Charlie Coyle made the play to deny Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s clearing attempt to start the play and got a well-deserved secondary assist.
Geekie tumbled over Bobrovsky and got called for goalie interference at 4:49.
The Panthers had an active powerplay that the Bruins survived after some desperate play by Brandon Carlo (diving play to cover and then legally nudge the puck away from the slot) and Derek Forbort (reach to deflect a shot set up in the slot).
In the ensuing action, Bennett was injured when Lindholm inadvertently stepped on his left calf with his right skate. (If you’ve been following hockey, you were reminded this week of the danger of skate blades.)
Bruins outshot the Panthers, 7-2, through 11:24 of the middle period (Florida still 19-13 for the game).
It’s still evident that the Panthers move the puck too confidently through the middle of the rink, and on one early-period zone entry a puck carrier cut across the middle in a way that would have made Scott Stevens salivate. But McAvoy, the only Bruin equipped and wired to make that hit, was not on the ice. Nonetheless, it’s troubling that opponents carry the puck so top-down, summertime against the Bruins.
Ekman-Larsson lost his stick trying to defend against Pastnrak, then took down Boston’s superstar in the slot, putting Boston on the powerplay with 7:40 remaining in the second period.
The Panthers had some late-period pushback, hemming in the Bruins and giving newly signed Danton Heinen his baptism by fire.
Barkov fed Rodrigues at the right post, but Ullmark denied him for his best save of the night.
Good for Carlo that Ullmark has been a blackhole since Florida’s second goal. The big defenseman was involved at Florida’s end and looked like he wanted a change, but with none forthcoming he was caught defending off the rush when Ullmark sucked in a hard shot from the circle.
Shots after two: 25-20 Florida.
FIRST PERIOD
Linus Ullmark was faced with a charging Evan Rodrigues. Ullmark, as he always seems to in these early-game situations, made the save rather routinely.
Florida, remembering the formula and perhaps taking notes from Anaheim’s comeback win here on Thursday, stayed aggressive.
The Bruins had one very good chance on Sergei Bobrovsky, which he denied.
Sam Bennett barreled through the middle, cut right at the blue line and dropped a pass for Carter Verhaeghe, who ripped a shot that Ullmark stopped.
Sasha Barkov got Florida on the board at 6:13, counterattacking off one of Boston’s better sequences of the period. Shortly after Matt Grzelcyk slapped a hard shot that Bobrovsky blocked through traffic, Matt Poitras made a nice pivot at the Florida line to stay onside, carrying back into the left circle before snapping a shot that Bobrovsky stopped. The rebound caromed out to Barkov, who looked off Sam Reinhart before snapping a low shot inside the far post for a 1-0 Panthers lead. Excellent execution by one of the game’s elites.
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery went away from his pregame-skate combinations and grouped newly signed left winger Danton Heinen with Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak.
Bennett tried a wraparound that Ullmark interrupted, but Hampus Lindholm got called for roughing Matthew Tkachuk. If anything, Tkachuk roughed up Lindholm. Interference would be the only justifiable call on the play.
The make-up call was a non-call on Charlie McAvoy, who hit Verhaeghe high with an elbow flying in the slot. Bruins dodged a two-man disadvantage, and the TD Garden crowd was crickets at a replay that would have incited a riot in Montreal.
Poitras made a boo-boo in his own end, and Barkov stripped him of the puck, centering to Reinhart whose goal put Florida on top with 4:52 left in the opening period.
This was Poitras’ ninth game of the season, the one after which the Bruins commit to keeping him in the NHL for the season or sending him back to Guelph of the OHL (junior). It’s been an easy decision for the Bruins to keep Poitras in Boston and developing his game as a 19-year-old NHLer. One mistake against one of the game’s elites is not going to change that.
Florida’s 17-6, first-period shots advantage fairly reflected on the play, and the Panthers lead 2-0 after one period.
PREGAME: THE RETURN OF DANTON HEINEN
The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers renew acquaintances after last spring’s playoff series that saw the Bruins one solid play away from a five-game series win, only to let the Panthers off the hook and live to regret it in overtime of Game 7.
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery admitted the cough-up against Anaheim on Thursday night, the Bruins’ first home game after a west-coast trip from which they arrived home 6-0-0, reminded him of how Game 7 against Florida ended last spring.
Against Detroit on Saturday, the Bruins were determined not to let it happen again, and Pavel Zacha, who took some crap in Rink Rap Thursday night, played arguably his best game since taking on the center position. His Confection Line between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak was a sight to behold. Pastrnak was unbelievable, not only in his penalty-shot conversion against Ville Husso but his bank shot off the sideboards that found pay dirt with Husso on the bench.
The Bruins are looking to build on that 4-1 win with another solid performance.
In a back-to-the-future twist, Danton Heinen, who has been with the Bruins since the start of training camp, finally signed a one-year, $775,000 contract and will slot in on left wing tonight with center Johnny Beecher and RW Oscar Steen.
Tonight is Hockey Fights Cancer Night at TD Garden.
Press release on Heinen:
BRUINS SIGN DANTON HEINEN TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT
BOSTON – Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, October 30, that the team has signed forward Danton Heinen to a one-year NHL contract with a cap hit of $775,000.
Heinen, 28, appeared in 65 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2022-23 season, recording eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward has skated in 413 career NHL games with Pittsburgh, Anaheim and Boston, totaling 70 goals and 106 assists for 176 points.
The Langley, British Columbia native was originally selected by Boston in the fourth round (116th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
#10/30/23#
Press release on Hockey Fights Cancer:
BRUINS TO HOST HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER NIGHT ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 30
BOSTON – The Boston Bruins will host Hockey Fights Cancer Night on Monday, October 30, during their home game against the Florida Panthers at 7 p.m. at TD Garden. Lavender, which represents awareness for all forms of cancer, will be incorporated into the game in several ways. Bruins coaches and broadcasters will wear lavender pins to show their support.
Fans will have the opportunity to fill out ‘I Fight For’ cards by visiting staff tables in Loge 5/6, Loge 7/8, Loge 11/12, Loge 15/16 and Balcony 318/319. The cards can be displayed during the second period, when the Bruins take a moment to honor those who have fought or are currently fighting cancer.
During the game, the Bruins will recognize Heather Peach, a child life specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, as the Community All-Star, presented by Massachusetts State Lottery. Peach has been with MGH for 26 and currently works in the Pediatric Medical Services department.
Tickets to Monday’s game have been donated to cancer patients at hospitals in the Greater Boston area.
The Boston Bruins Foundation will host an online auction for the team-issued, autographed Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys and sticks. The auction will end at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 3. Fans can text HFC1 to 76278 to place a bid.
Additionally, the Bruins Foundation will host online and in-game raffles for team-issued, autographed Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys. The online raffle for a Linus Ullmark jersey will close at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 3. Fans can purchase raffle tickets by visiting www.bruinsraffles.com. Fans in attendance can visit the Bruins Foundation table in Loge 5 to purchase raffle tickets for a Kevin Shattenkirk jersey. The in-game raffle will run until the end of the second intermission.
The Bruins Foundation will also present a check for $280,000 to the Pan-Mass Challenge, a Massachusetts-based-bike-a-thon that raises money for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In August, over 30 riders representing the Bruins Foundation participated in the 192-mile ride to raise funds and awareness for cancer treatment and research.
The Bruins Foundations’ 50/50 Raffle, presented by DraftKings, will support the Cam Neely Foundation, an organization that provides comfort, support and hope to cancer patients and their families. Tickets can be purchased throughout the game and online at BostonBruins.com/5050.
The ProShop powered by ’47 will have exclusive Hockey Fights Cancer merchandise available for fans to show their support, including sweatshirts, t-shirts, hats and pucks. Fans can shop in-person at the store on the Hub on Causeway, or online at BostonProShop.com.
#10/30/23#
Rink Rap with Mick Colageo 