Brad Marchand scored twice and Tuukka Rask made 25 saves as the Boston Bruins rolled over the Florida Panthers by a 4-0 count Saturday night in Sunrise.
The loss dropped the Panthers to 17-16-8 at the 2016-17 season’s halfway point.
Marchand opened the scoring with an unassisted shorthanded breakaway goal at 12:48 of the first period and then scored Boston’s third marker on a second period power play.
David Backes, back in the lineup after missing three games, lit the lamp with a nice deflection of Torey’s Krug’s shot early in the second and Riley Nash notched the only goal of the third period to complete the scoring.
James Reimer made 33 stops in his second start for the injury-riddled Panthers, who could not muster the same energy they did the night before against Nashville.
Thanks to losses by Ottawa and Toronto, the struggling Panthers remained just two points out of a playoff spot. The Senators (three) and Maple Leafs (two) both hold games-in-hand on the Cats.
The Panthers will head north for games against the New Jersey Devils on Monday and the New York Islanders on Wednesday.
Highlights:
Tea & Honey
- The Panthers have managed to collect just one point in four games against the Bruins this season. They get one try in Boston on April Fool’s Day.
- Florida finished a stretch they saw them play at home eight times in a nine-game span with a 3-3-3 record. Opportunity squandered.
- Tuukka Rask raised his record against against the Panthers to 19-3-1 with four shutouts.
- Defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Mike Matheson led the Cats with four shots on goal apiece. The pair also finished the game with even ratings. Ekblad played in his 200th NHL game.
- Sam Brittain was recalled from ECHL Manchester to back up James Reimer with Roberto Luongo out. Lu could be back for Monday’s tilt versus the Devils.
- The injury bug bit the Cats again, with Greg McKegg being the victim this time. McKegg left in the second period with an upper-body injury.
- Torey Krug’s second period helper gave him nine assists in the last eight games.
- Gobble down a hot Stanley Cup of Chowder on this chilly South Florida morning for the other side of the B’s latest win over the Panthers./