Bruins need to figure out how to win against the Panthers.
It’s only natural for the Boston Bruins to create some fierce rivals throughout the course of their century-long history. When it comes to rivals, the first two clubs that come to mind are always the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs, both of which Boston has a lengthy history with.
In recent seasons, a new rivalry has emerged between the Bruins and the Florida Panthers. They’ve kept Boston out of the playoffs the previous two seasons. Both postseason series and regular season games have demonstrated that these two clubs dislike each other. As a result, fans have witnessed some incredibly exciting contests.
The Panthers, the defending Stanley Cup champions, are a very skilled club with a superb offensive lineup, a strong defensive core, and a revived Sergei Bobrovsky in net. As fellow Atlantic Division members, the Bruins are likely to face Florida again in the postseason if they want to advance. If the team’s performance in the season opener taught us anything, it will be a difficult task for the present lineup to defeat them.
Recent matchups with Florida
Last season, the Bruins won all four regular-season games versus the Panthers. This came after Florida upset them in seven games in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, therefore ending their record-breaking 2022-23 season considerably earlier than expected. The 2023-24 games were among the team’s best, as the players plainly felt they had something to prove.
Of course, when it counted the most in the playoffs, the Bruins were once again unable to win, falling in six games to the Panthers. Following a fantastic Game 1, it was pretty much all downhill from there. Sure, the refs made some extremely terrible calls, but in the end, Florida was the better team. Boston’s failure to score and recklessness in their own zone were clearly exposed. Jim Montgomery, the team’s head coach, could not do much to help them win the series.
Boston’s record with the Panthers over the last several seasons is a microcosm of what’s been going on with this squad at the time: a terrific regular season team that can’t get it done when it counts the most. The Bruins have surprised many with how strong they have been over the last two seasons, remaining competitive when many believed their window had closed. However, by the time playoffs arrived, the roster’s projected problems had been fully exposed.
Bruins’ Opening Night Mishap
To add salt to the wound of previous season’s postseason exit, the Bruins began the 2024-25 season in Sunrise, Florida, where the team that eliminated them celebrated their Stanley Cup and raised their championship banner. Unfortunately, it did not give the expected impetus, as they lost 6-4 against the champs.
Joonas Korpisalo, who played the entire game, did not have a spectacular performance in net. He saved 29 shots, and while he made several good saves, they didn’t compensate for some of the bad ones he let in, particularly in the first period when the Panthers led 4-1. However, the burden does not go entirely on him, as the Bruins’ defensive shortcomings from the playoffs were once again on full show. The team did not arrive prepared to play, appearing lethargic, particularly in the first 10 minutes, and Florida took advantage, pulling ahead early and putting the game out of reach.
Joonas Korpisalo, Boston Bruins (Amy Irvin/The Hockey Writers)
At this time, the Panthers are intimately familiar with the Bruins. They understand how to execute and will take advantage of teams that are not ready to play when the puck drops. If Boston wants a shot at the Stanley Cup this season, they must defeat Florida, and their opening night performance demonstrated that they haven’t exactly figured it out yet. While the Bruins scored four goals, many of the same flaws from the postseason persisted. The most serious of these is a lack of discipline within their own zone. As the old saying goes, defense wins championships, and the squad has yet to find that out.
Obviously, it is still very early. There is a long time between now and April 2025, and much can happen in the intervening months. However, given the previous two postseasons, the Panthers have become a Thing for the Bruins, a monkey on their back that they must vanquish if they are to go far this season.
Bruins Figuring It Out
There are some encouraging signs from the Bruins’ opening few games of the season. They’re scoring, which they clearly couldn’t do in the playoffs last season. They are producing offense from the blue line, which they have struggled with for several seasons (essentially since Torey Krug left). In the first three games of the season, they had seven different goal scorers. Despite missing the preseason due to a contract holdout, Jeremy Swayman performed well in net against the Canadiens and the Los Angeles Kings.
There are always growing pains at the start of a new season, but the Bruins are working through them. There is a lot to look forward to this season, including Matthew Poitras’ return to the ice and Elias Lindholm’s strong performance in Boston through the first few games.
Their second match with the Panthers, scheduled for October 14, is also swiftly approaching. It will be another chance to face one of their current top competitors and demonstrate their ability to defeat the defending champs. Florida may have been the better club last season, but it’s 2024-25, and the Bruins can beat them. They just need to start putting it all together.
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