PREVIEW: The Panthers want to continue having success against the Bruins

BOSTON – The Florida Panthers will look to continue their success against the Boston Bruins when the puck drops at TD Garden for an afternoon game on Monday at 1 p.m. ET.

Not only did the Panthers open their season with a convincing 6-4 win over the Bruins at Sunrise on Tuesday, but they have also won a whopping six straight playoff games at TD Garden.

Although this is only the fourth game of the regular season, the intensity is likely to be high.

“Those are the games I would spend money to go to,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “Really intense, very physical, a lot of attacking skills, great goalkeeping skills and a lot of intensity. It’s fun to be behind the bench because the game is being played at the right level.”

At 1-2-0, the Panthers have lost each of the first two games of their four-game road schedule, including a 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabers at KeyBank Center on Saturday.

Without two of their top forwards – Aleksander Barkov (upper body) and Matthew Tkachuk (illness) – the Panthers had to take the ice and struggled to perform at their usual high level.

After Nate Schmidt made it 1-0 in the first period thanks to impressive passes from AJ Greer and Jesper Boqvist, the Panthers conceded four goals in a row. Spencer Knight made his first NHL start since February 18, 2023 and finished the game with 22 saves.

Florida lost the battle at the net and trailed 16-5 in dangerous shot attempts.

With Barkov already out for two to three weeks, Tkachuk is expected to be out until the Panthers' game against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 22 in Sunrise.

“We've won a number 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 play that allows that. I think we did that in our first two (games), but that wasn’t the case tonight.”

After their season-opening loss to the Panthers, the Bruins have picked up wins in each of their last two games and improved to 2-1-0. In their last game, David Pastrnak scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 overtime win over the Kings on Saturday.

In each of the team's wins, Jeremy Swayman posted a .914 save percentage.

Elias Lindholm, who signed a seven-year contract in the offseason, fits seamlessly into Boston's top line and leads the team with five points (two goals, three assists). Not far behind is Pastrnak, his linemate, second in points (4) and first in goals (3).

With both Barkov and Tkachuk unavailable against the Bruins, the Panthers will field 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the second straight game. According to Maurice, defender Uvis Balinskis will see some changes as a striker with some adjustments.

Sergei Bobrovsky will put the ball in the net for the Panthers.

“We have everything we need in this room,” Schmidt said. “It's a shame not to have two of your best players, but you know what's already in here. Now it's time for the boys to close the gap. These are people who are irreplaceable, but we have the people who can go out and replicate it.”

YOU SAID IT

“What I really liked is that he (Patrick Giles) went 3-1 in faceoffs against a guy who isn't a center. Maybe we have a gem there. We played his first NHL game, put him in the middle of the ice and I thought he handled it very well.” –Paul Maurice

“You might as well jump into this (adversity) early because it’s going to come all year long. We’d better get this over with and hope this is the only thing you come across.” – Nate Schmidt

FIVE CAT STATS

– Sam Reinhart is expected to skate in his 700^Th NHL game.

– Gustav Forsling has a team-leading +5 plus/minus rating.

– Sam Bennett picked up a point in three consecutive games at the start of the season.

– Sergei Bobrovsky has won five straight playoff games at TD Garden.

– The Panthers ranked first in the NHL in away wins (26) during the 2023-24 season.

Planned lineup (subject to change)

Forward

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Evan Rodrigues

AJ Greer – Jesper Boqvist – Mackie Samoskevich

Jonah Gadjovich – Patrick Giles – Uvis Balinskis

defender

Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov

Nate Schmidt-Adam Boqvist

goalkeeper

Sergei Bobrovsky

Spencer Knight

LAST 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 is recalled to Florida

– Oct 8th: Carter Verhaeghe has signed an eight-year contract extension from 2025/26.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

When: Monday, October 14 at 1 p.m. ET

Where: TD Garden – Boston, MA

TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (sold out)

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 here to view participating bars and restaurants