BOSTON– The Boston Bruins’ last view of the Florida Panthers was of them celebrating their victory in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round on TD Garden Rink, eliminating the Bruins from the playoffs of the Stanley Cup. It was a run for the Panthers that wouldn’t end until the Stanley Cup Finals, where they ultimately lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights.
While nothing that happens on Monday will erase that spectacle, the Bruins will certainly have a little extra when they take the ice at TD Garden (7 p.m. ET; BSFL, NESN, TVAS2) to face the team that finished his 2022-23 season in style. fashion.
“It’s not one of 82, no,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “They ended our season. They went all the way to the finals. Our summers were miserable until the end of the finals. That’s because they beat us. So, yeah, that means more. ”
The Bruins thought they had a team capable of winning the Stanley Cup last season. There was no reason to believe otherwise, not after a regular season that set an NHL record for wins (65) and points (135). Instead, they were eliminated after the first round, with a long summer to think about what went wrong.
“There is definitely extra motivation,” said the striker Frederic Trent said. “I think we’re going to come out with a little more of a jump than maybe a typical Monday night game. I’m excited about it. I think everyone that was here last year and even the guys that are coming from We’ve got it figured out, so we’re excited.”
The Panthers started this season with an 0-2-2 record, which is not an unexpected result considering they are without top defensemen. Brandon Montour And Aaron Ekblad, each of whom was injured in the playoffs. Center Sam Bennett He also did not play this season due to a lower body injury suffered in a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 5, although coach Paul Maurice said he was possible that he returns for this match.
Since these two losses, the Panthers (4-3-0) have won four of five, including two in a row, against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday and the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
“They’re playing really well,” Montgomery said. “They’re playing the same way they’ve had success in the second half and in the playoffs. They’re a very tough team on the forecheck. They’re a team that their defensemen press and keep pucks alive very well in the offensive zone, which is even better than their forecheck in my opinion. They release pucks well and defend the run better than last year.
“This is a team that, despite missing two of their top D’s and their second-line center in Bennett, is doing some really good things. They probably should have a better record than they have do.”
The Bruins (7-0-1) are off to a hot start, their seven wins being one behind the Golden Knights (8-0-1) for most in the NHL. Their only blemish was a 4-3 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.
They will have the chance to prove themselves during a four-game stretch against teams from the Atlantic Division. They opened with a convincing 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday and after playing in Florida, they played home games against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday and the Red Wings on Saturday.
‘We want to send a statement in divisional games,’ Bruins goaltender said Jeremy Swayman said after the victory against Detroit. “We want to make sure we remain dominant. That’s an important part going forward.
“We have a few coming up. Every team in this league is a serious opponent, but these divisional points are huge for us. We know these points matter at the start of the season and are important things we can build on . and grow from.”
