BOSTON – The Florida Panthers will look to continue their success against the Boston Bruins when the puck drops at TD Garden for an afternoon tilt on Monday at 1 p.m. ET.
In addition to opening their season with a convincing 6-4 win over the Bruins in Sunrise on Tuesday, the Panthers have won a staggering six straight playoff games at TD Garden.
While this is only the fourth game of the regular season, the intensity should be high.
“These are the games that I’d pay to go see,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “Really intense, really physical, lots of offensive skills, great goaltending and lots of intensity. It’s fun to be behind the bench because the game is being played at the right level.”
Sitting at 1-2-0, the Panthers have dropped each of the first two games on their four-game road swing, including a 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Saturday.
Taking the ice without two of their top forwards – Aleksander Barkov (upper body) and Matthew Tkachuk (illness) – the Panthers struggled to execute to their usual high level.
After Nate Schmidt scored to make it 1-0 in the first period thanks to some impressive passing from A.J. Greer and Jesper Boqvist, the Panthers surrendered four straight goals. Making his first NHL start since Feb. 18, 2023, Spencer Knight finished with 22 saves.
Losing the battle around the net, Florida trailed 16-5 in high-danger shot attempts.
With Barkov already set to miss two to three weeks, Tkachuk is expected to be out the lineup until the Panthers’ matchup against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 22 in Sunrise.
“We’ve won a bunch of hockey games in the past without them in our lineup,” Maurice said after the loss to the Sabres. “We have to play a style of game that will allow that to happen. I think we were at that in our first two [games], but we weren’t tonight.”
Following their season-opening loss to the Panthers, the Bruins have picked up wins in each of their last two games to improve to 2-1-0. In their most-recent outing, David Pastrnak scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 overtime win over the Kings on Saturday.
Starting each of the team’s wins, Jeremy Swayman has posted a .914 save percentage.
Fitting in seamlessly on Boston’s top line, Elias Lindholm, who was inked to a seven-year contract during the offseason, leads the team in scoring with five points (two goals, three assists). Not far behind, Pastrnak, his linemate, is second in points (4) and first in goals (3).
With Barkov and Tkachuk both unavailable against the Bruins, the Panthers will roll with 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the second straight game. Making some adjustments, defenseman Uvis Balinskis is going to get some shifts as a forward, according to Maurice.
Sergei Bobrovsky will get the nod in net for the Panthers.
“We have what we need in this room,” Schmidt said. “It sucks not having two of your best players, but you know what’s already in here. Now it’s time for the guys to pick up the slack. Those are guys that are irreplaceable, but we have the guys that can go out and replicate.”
THEY SAID IT
“What I really liked is that he (Patrick Giles) was 3-1 on faceoffs for a guy that’s not a center. Maybe we’ve got a gem there. We put in his first NHL game, put him at center ice and I thought he handled it very well.” – Paul Maurice
“You might as well plunge yourself right into it (adversity) early because it’s going to come throughout the year. Might as well get it done with and hope this is the only thing you run into.” – Nate Schmidt
FIVE CATS STATS
- Sam Reinhart is expected to skate in his 700th NHL game.
- Gustav Forsling boasts a team-leading +5 plus/minus rating.
- Sam Bennett has recorded a point in three straight games to start the season.
- Sergei Bobrovsky has won five straight playoff games at TD Garden.
- The Panthers were tied for first in the NHL in road wins (26) in 2023-24.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Evan Rodrigues
A.J. Greer – Jesper Boqvist – Mackie Samoskevich
Jonah Gadjovich – Patrick Giles – Uvis Balinskis
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Nate Schmidt – Adam Boqvist
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Oct. 11: F Patrick Giles recalled to Florida
- Oct. 9: F MacKenzie Entwistle and G Chris Driedger assigned to Charlotte (AHL) | G Spencer Knight recalled to Florida
- Oct. 8: Carter Verhaeghe signed an eight-year contract extension starting in 2025-26.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Monday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. ET
Where: TD Garden – Boston, MA
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Cats on Tap: Click to View Participating Bars & Restaurants
