How Jim Montgomery responded to Matthew Tkachuk's absence

BOSTON – The Bruins will try to beat the Florida Panthers for the first time this season when they host their division rival at TD Garden for a matinee matchup on Monday afternoon. The two teams battled on opening night just over a week ago when the Panthers ran away with a 6-4 victory at Amerant Bank Arena.

There will be changes to each club's lineup. The Panthers will be without star forwards Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, and the Bruins will have to rely on No. 1 goaltender Jeremy Swayman in net for the second leg. Regardless of who plays for Florida, Boston head coach Jim Montgomery said he will not change the Bruins' game plan before the contest.

“I don't think we showed as many defensive cuts because of the performance of those two particular players,” Montgomery told reporters in his pregame press conference. “But the game plan for us, what we want to accomplish in all three zones, remains the same because Florida is not going to change its game because those two are out.”

Although Florida doesn't have its No. 1 agitator on the ice, Montgomery believes the Bruins' intensity will still be on full display given the team the Panthers are and what has happened over the last few seasons.

“Not against the Panthers. If Colorado is a team we don’t play often, I would say yes,” Montgomery said. “But not against the Panthers. … When I look at the two years, both organizations (Boston and Florida) are similar. There is a standard for what is acceptable and what is not. In my opinion, this responsibility and the hard work of the teams contribute to our success.”

Although the Bruins have Original Six rivals in the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs, Mongomery believes Boston's biggest rival is Florida.

“No question,” he said. “They beat us two years in a row. They won the cup. They reached the cup final. They are the class of the NHL until they get beat. I mean, if you want to do well in this league, you have to pass it.”

TD Garden puck drop is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET, and you can catch all the action after an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.