Quietly and without Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand, the Florida Panthers have worked their way into a playoff spot, albeit the second wild card in the NHL’s Eastern Conference.
Both players are with the team but not yet ready for action. Coach Paul Maurice told media that their participation in morning skates will accelerate their comebacks to action.
Meantime, the lineup that the 9-6-2 Panthers, in search of their 10th win of the season, bring to the TD Garden table today will accent their identity of their championship era. Sam Bennett will center the Tkachuk brothers Matthew and Brady.
The 12-4-1 Bruins, who know they need a strong start, and Marco Sturm is looking at Nikita Zadorov to match up with Will Borgen against that line and Elias Lindholm’s line with Casey Mittelstadt and Marat Khusnutdinov.
Mikey Eyssimont is in the lineup today with James Hagens on injured reserve.
FIRST PERIOD
They don’t wait: Brady Tkachuk and Nikita Zadorov fight, Zadorov wins. Two seconds expire. Crowd loves it.
Gustav Forsling puck over the glass at 31 seconds, so early powerplay for the Bruins.
Elias Lindholm’s shot from the high slot trickles through Jacob Markstrom, and Toronto is taking a long time to see if there is clear-cut evidence that the puck crossed the goal line before Markstrom could reach back to sweep it back. This is a close one.
The call on the ice was no-goal, the belief in Toronto has to be that the puck crossed, but deduction is not the same as evidence. This is the closest goal call I can think of in some time.
It’s a goal at 4:53 by Elias Lindholm from Charlie McAvoy. 1-0 Boston.
Eyssimont’s magic continues into the NHL, as he cycles with Fraser Minten and Morgan Geekie to generate a second goal on a wraparound. Eyssimont with the decisive poke at 6:11. 2-0.
Garnet Hathaway and Mark Kastelic have a go, and Kastelic lands multiple uppercuts.
Khusnutdinov to the box, Florida to the powerplay at 7:02.
Good powerplay for the Panthers, who cannot beat Jeremy Swayman over the first 1:33. Their second unit generates a chance but misses the net.
Matt Poitras, seeing action for the first time since his face got busted up on the elbow last week, backhands a pass to spring Khusnutdinov on a breakaway. Khustnutdinov didn’t score, but Poitras just earned himself a shift between David Pastrnak and J-J Peterka and used it to make a nice backcheck at the Boston line.
TV timeout features a horserace of sorts in which “Tuukka Rask” outpaced “Gerry Cheevers.” Anyone who knew Gerry as a goalie knew how much he loves the horses. In other words, he never would have lost. No offense, Tuukka.
Minten to the penalty box for crosschecking with 8:16 left in the first period.
Another strong powerplay for Florida, and Seth Jones’ point shot gets a piece of the post before leaving the rink.
Hampus Lindholm got too cute in his own crease and nearly cost the Bruins a goal before sweeping the puck to the corner. Bruins get the kill.
