FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:
BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT – F Sam Bennett | Games Missed: 7 – D Aaron Ekblad | Games Missed: 7 – D Brandon Montour | Games Missed: 7 – F Jonah Gadjovich | Games Missed: 5 Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 26 Games
LAST GAME Panthers 3, Kraken 2 – Oct. 28 – Amerant Bank Arena FLA Goals: Forsling (1-PPG), Tkachuk (1), Cousins (1) SEA Goals: McCann (4), Tolvanen (1) FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (W) – 30 Saves SEA Goalie: Daccord (L) – 35 Saves FLA Shots: 38 SEA Shots: 32 Notes: Matthew Tkachuk, Gustav Forsling, and Nick Cousins each scored their first goal of the season… Dmitry Kulikov collected two assists (0-2-2) for his first multi-point game this season… Florida picked up their first win vs. Seattle at home since the Kraken joined the league in 2021-22…Carter Verhaeghe (0-1-1) and Anton Lundell (0-1-1) each recorded an assist to extend their respective point streaks to two games… Niko Mikkola established a new career-high in shots on goal (7 SOG)…FLA PP: 1-1, FLA PK: 1-1
RECENT TRANSACTIONS: – Oct. 27: F Mackie Samoskevich loaned to Charlotte (AHL) – Oct. 24: F Mackie Samoskevich recalled on emergency basis from Charlotte (AHL) – Oct. 21: F Justin Sourdif loaned to Charlotte (AHL) – Oct. 17: F Will Lockwood recalled from Charlotte (AHL) | F Mackie Samoskevich loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
PANTHERS vs. BRUINS
ALL-TIME vs. BOS: 44-50-6-10
ALL-TIME ROAD vs. BOS: 22-27-4-3 2022-23
vs. BOS: 2-2-0
CATS STATS – Tonight, Aleksander Barkov is expected to tie Jonathan Huberdeau (671) for the most games played in franchise history. – Barkov has produced 23 points (9-14-23) over 27 games against Boston, including six points (2-4-6) over three regular season games last season. – Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell and Matthew Tkachuk each enter tonight’s matchup with two-game point streaks.
BACK IN BOSTON The Panthers return to TD Garden tonight for the first time since Game 7 of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Cats overcame a 3-1 series deficit against the Bruins and won the final three games of the series against the 2022-23 Presidents’ Trophy winners. Florida had finished the regular season with 43 fewer points than Boston, marking the second-largest regular-season point differential by a team in a series win after the Kings defeated the Oilers in 1982 Division Semifinals. The Panthers became the second team to overcome a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Presidents’ Trophy winner in any round, following the Canadiens (2010 CQF vs. WSH), the eighth team to defeat the Presidents’ Trophy winner in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the third to do so via a Game 7 victory.
In the first-round series against Boston:
• Carter Verhaeghe scored the overtime goal in Game 7, his third of four career playoff overtime winners with Florida in his career and the second that clinched a playoff series (also: Round 1, Game 6 at WSH in 2022).
• Matthew Tkachuk led all skaters with 11 points (5-6-11) second only to Carter Verhaeghe’s 12 (6-6-12) against Washington in Round 1 in 2022 for the most in a single series in club playoff history.
• Florida won the final three games at TD Garden in the series, including Games 5 and 7 in overtime.
• Brandon Montour produced eight points (5-3-8) over seven games in the Round 1 series against Boston, including two multigoal games and two power-play goals. He scored twice in Game 7, including a game-tying goal with a minute left in regulation to force overtime.
• Sergei Bobrovsky won each of the final three games, allowing just one even-strength goal against in each contest. At even strength, he stopped 86 of 89 shots against in the final three matchups for a .966 even-strength save percentage.
BOSTON BRUINS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME -The Bruins host the Panthers tonight in the first of four games between these teams this season and the first of two visits toTD Garden this year … The Bruins are 7-0-1 overall this season and they are 3-0-1 on home ice … They are 1-0-0 in games vs. Eastern Conference teams this season. -The Bruins play game three tonight of their current four-game home stand vs. Florida (1-0-1) … They will conclude their home stand hosting Toronto on Nov. 2 and will then travel to Detroit on 11/4 and Dallas on 11/6.
RECENT GAMES -The Bruins had their six-game win streak snapped with a 4-3 OT setback vs. Anaheim on 10/26 but have extended their 7-0-1 point streak to eight games which matches their franchise record from the start of a season (6-0-2 in 1937-38). -The Bruins had opened their season with a 3-1 win vs. Chicago on 10/11, a 3-2 victory vs. Nashville on 10/14, a 3-1 win in San Jose on 10/19, 4-2 victory in Los Angeles on 10/21, 3-1 win in Anaheim on Oct. 22 and 3-0 shutout in Chicago on 10/24, tying the 1937-38 Bruins for the longest win streak to open a season in franchise history.
– 10/24: Bos 3 at Chi 0 … The Bruins had a season-high 43 shots with goals from Pavel Zacha, Trent Frederic and Matt Poitras in the win … Jeremy Swayman made 23 saves for his 10th career shutout … SOG: Bos 43, Chi 23 … PP: 0/4 … PK: 0/3
– 10/26: Bos 3 vs Ana 4/OT … Charlie Coyle, Matt Grzelcyk and David Pastrnak gave the Bruins a 3-1 lead into the fnal 1:55 of regulation but the Ducks took three goals in a 4:03 span for the decision … Linus Ullmark earned a point in the OT loss … SOG: Bos 30, Ana 32 … PP: 1/3 … PK: 0/5
– 10/28: Bos 4 vs Det 1 … David Pastrnak had 2-1=3 totals, including his second penalty shot goal of the season in his 600th career NHL game … Pavel Zacha (PP) and Charlie McAvoy (GW) added goals … Jeremy Swayman earned his fourth win this season … SOG: Bos 31, Det 23 … PP: 1/4 … PK: 0/3
INJURIES (7 man-games lost) – Milan Lucic: Lower body IR – Jakub Lauko: Upper body
BOSTON vs FLORIDA, LIFETIME SERIES – The Bruins and Panthers are meeting for the 111th time in their histories with the Bruins having a 60-37-6-7 record and a 323-282 scoring edge in those games. – The Bruins are 30-18-4-4 lifetime vs. Florida at home with a 169-131 advantage in those 56 contests. RECENT TRANSACTIONS October 25: Jackson Edward signed to a three-year entry-level contract. October 26: Ian Mitchell assigned to Providence/AHL. October 26: Jesper Boqvist recalled from Providence/AHL. October 28: Oskar Steen recalled from Providence/AHL. October 28: Jesper Boqvist returned to Providence/AHL.
