The Bruins need to build off their win against the Panthers.
No doubt the Boston Bruins will celebrate on their flight home all that puck luck they received in F-L-A.
Goaltender Jeremy Swayman was outstanding, and he finally received help at both ends of the ice as the Bruins beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 in overtime Saturday afternoon at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. Bruins’ David Pastrnak was credited with the game-winning goal with under two seconds remaining in OT when his pass attempt ricochetted off the stick of Panthers’ Sam Reinhart and past goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
For a team that’s been struggling in nearly every aspect of its game, the Bruins finally snapped a six-game winless skid with the victory against the Panthers. Boston still allowed a crazy amount of shot attempts and forced Swayman to post a total of 39 saves. He’s been the most consistent player for the Bruins of late, but he just needed some help, and his teammates finally lent that support for a huge win.
Pastrnak had two goals and produced one of his better games this season. He’ll need more of that if the Bruins can build off this momentum.
The overall tension has been evident given all the adversity the Bruins have dealt with during their recent skid, especially knowing general manager Don Sweeney will attempt to improve the team prior to the March 7 trade deadline. The players understand changes could happen and that could be mentally exhausting for a team. It’s always a fun storyline when teams include family members on road trips, but now that the Bruins’ moms trip is complete, the players can regain their focus for the second half of the season.
Meanwhile, it will help with Hampus Lindholm returns to the lineup sooner than later. He’s been skating and will be a huge addition once he’s back from his lower-body injury. His presence on the back end should help the overall defensive game, especially with Charlie McAvoy, who needs more consistency in his game. Boston has the ability to be a playoff team, but it needs to shed this Jekyll and Hyde act before it’s too late. A little more puck luck will help, too.