Bruins Come Up Short in Shootout Loss
Sergei Bobrovsky in net for Florida Panthers. Photo credits: Jenn G.
Written By Gina Anton
SUNRISE, Fla. – Brad Marchand scored the winning goal in the shootout, and Anton Lundell had three points in regulation as the Florida Panthers skated past the Boston Bruins 5-4 on Wednesday night.
The Panthers (29-25-3) ended their four-game losing streak and picked up a much-needed victory before the NHL’s Olympic break, while the Bruins (31-20-3) earned a point in the tight game at Amerant Bank Arena.
Marchand, back in the lineup after missing two games with a lower-body injury, delivered in the fourth round of the shootout, beating Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to secure the two points for Florida. It was Marchand’s second shootout win with his new club against his former team.
Lundell, making his return from a three-game absence due to an upper-body injury, opened the scoring and added two assists to finish with three points in regulation. Matthew Tkachuk and Uvis Balinskis also scored and had assists for the Panthers, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves to earn the win.
Eetu Luostarinen gave Florida an early lead with a goal at 4:22 of the first period, capitalizing on a Boston turnover and beating Korpisalo glove side. But Boston responded swiftly to this setback.
Bruins winger Michael Eyssimont, who had been seeking consistency this season, scored twice on breakaways to put Boston up 2-1. Eyssimont’s first goal came at 7:18, and he followed that with the second at 12:43 immediately after exiting the penalty box after a 2-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Florida flipped the momentum in the second period. Balinskis tied the game 2-2 just 30 seconds in with a power-play goal, and Tkachuk gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead with another power-play strike at 2:22. Lundell then extended Florida’s advantage to 4-2 with a short-handed goal late in the period, finishing a give-and-go off a Sam Reinhart pass.
Trailing by two, the Bruins mounted a third-period comeback. Mark Kastelic cut Florida’s lead to 4-3 at 7:52 when a Charlie McAvoy shot deflected off a Panthers defender and past Bobrovsky. Casey Mittelstadt then tied the game at 4-4 at 10:30, redirecting a David Pastrnak shot on the power play to send the game to overtime.
Neither team scored in the extra period, sending the contest into a shootout. After both clubs traded successful attempts, Marchand delivered the winner, beating Korpisalo with an efficient move to the forehand.
For Boston, the loss marked back-to-back defeats in Florida, both in shootouts, including their recent NHL Stadium Series game against Tampa Bay. Korpisalo finished with 22 saves, and Boston went 1 for 7 on the power play. Bruins coach Marco Sturm praised his team’s resilience but noted the outcome.
“Going to Florida isn’t an easy trip; you get the Stanley Cup champions here, Tampa Bay is the hottest team in the league. We survived. I give my guys a lot of credit.”
Panthers coach Paul Maurice also highlighted his team’s balanced effort.
“I think we got some incredible performances,” Maurice said. “We had some guys just play so incredibly hard.”
Boston heads into the Olympic break looking to regroup after a hard-fought road swing, while Florida carries momentum into its final game before the break. The two teams won’t meet again until later this season, but Wednesday’s tight match demonstrates the tension when Atlantic Division rivals collide.
