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  • What we learned: Bruins tame Panthers

    Post Game

    What we learned: Bruins tame Panthers

    Bob Snow December 12, 2015
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    It’s only mid-December, but Saturday’s matinee against the Florida Panthers was just the type of game where the two points were, well, more than just about two points.

    Game 28 Saturday followed Wednesday night’s 3-1 fortunate win over Montreal – a good opportunity to continue some momentum. It was the front end of a three-game homestand and the first of the next six of seven at TD Garden – a good opportunity to get on a roll. With two games in hand on one of the teams, they need to finish ahead of to play after the 82 regular season games – a good opportunity to add some distance in the standings. With a home record of 5-7-1 – a good opportunity to get passed .500 before the New Year rings in with the Winter Classic.

    To summarize: “There’s a lot of reasons to be prepared and optimistic about this little home stretch,” Claude Julien said at his pregame press conference.

    Here’s what we learned off Saturday’s 3-1 win over the Panthers that was not decided until Brad Marchand jumped on a loose puck — and scored the empty-netter at 18:37.

    Opportunity knocks – Bruins and Spooner answer

    “I thought he had a pretty solid game,” Julien said about Ryan Spooner’s two-goal game. “So both his goals are things that we’ve talked about for him, going to the net on that first one to tip it in, and being a bit more of a shooter sometimes on the half wall to keep the penalty kill guessing, instead of being predictable, and then he was rewarded for both of those. So, he had a good game for us.”

    Spooner connected at 11:35 of the first period with Torey Krug assisting to get the Bruins in front. At 8:00 of the second period, Boston’s NHL-best power play went on display. And it was Spooner again taking a pass from Patrice Bergeron before sending a 20-foot wrister past Roberto Luongo for his seventh of the season and a 2-0 lead.

    Boston is now 13-2-1 this season when leading by two goals.

    A solid 60 minutes

    In one of their better 60-minute performances, the Bruins allowed 27 total shots on Tuukka Rask — 14 in the third period — while limiting Florida’s zone time in their end of the ice most of the game. The Bruins gave the Panthers but one power play, thus making for a solid 5-on-5 performance for most of the game.

    “It was pretty solid overall,” Julien said. “I know the third period may not have been as good as the first two, but when a team is down two goals, they’re going to push hard.”

    “I think we played a solid defensive game as a five-man unit,” Dennis Seidenberg summed after. “It was definitely close to a 60-minute effort, and that’s what we always ask of ourselves, to play consistent for 60 minutes.”

    “The first two periods were really exactly the way we want to play,” Bergeron echoed. “The third was a little bit more back and forth; they had a few more chances, but still we didn’t give them too much.”

    Tuukka getting back to being Tuukka

    The Rask task is emerging with increasing success. Boston’s go-to guy entered Saturday with at least a point in each of his last seven consecutive games. During that stretch, Rask went 5-0-2 with two shutouts, a 1.61 GAA and a .946 save percentage. Saturday’s win upped his lifetime mark to 13-2-1 against the ‘Cats.

    Saturday’s win also upped those current stats, while providing added momentum and stability — the key to Boston’s overall success.

    “Tonight was again another big performance by him,” Bergeron said about Rask’s effort. “And we feed off of him. He’s been huge.”

    “Tuukka has been like I think we’re used to seeing him,” Julien said about Rask’s current run. “He’s been solid, and no doubt he’d love to have that goal back. To me, he played well enough to deserve a shutout this afternoon. But he’s been solid. He’s been good. I mean he had a rough start to this season, but he’s regained his game, and feeling confident, and certainly given us a chance to win every time he’s in net.”

    Rask was not tested heavily until the last 10 minutes. His best save was a point blank shot by Erik Gudbranson with eight minutes to go; then a Brian Campbell shot from the point with six minutes left before Reilly Smith tipped an Aaron Ekblad shot from the point at 13:56 to cut the Bruins’ lead in half. That made for a seat-squirming finish until Marchand sealed the deal.

    Bergeron scoring at a point-per-game clip

    Boston’s heart-and-soul assistant captain’s assist on Spooner’s power-play goal was his 16th point in his last 16 games — and 27th overall point in his 28th game. Add his plus-8 and all is on pace for a third consecutive Selke Trophy. Do we dare talk Hart Trophy that goes to one team’s respective MVP?

    Hayes vs. Smith

    What’s the current status around who benefitted more from the trade last summer when Bruins GM Don Sweeney shipped Reilly Smith to the Panthers for Jimmy Hayes?

    Entering Saturday, Hayes had 4-8-12 and a minus-5 in 25 games played. Smith posted a 7-7-14 and a plus-1 in all 29 of Florida’s games; his overall ice time considerably and consistently more than Hayes.

    Saturday, Smith played 18:03; Hayes 10:25.

    Homecoming for Everett’s Connor Brickley

    Malden-born and Everett’s own Connor Brickley had a local and vocal group on hand at TD Garden Saturday. Brickley, a cousin of NESN color commentator Andy Brickley, played all four years in Hockey East competition at the University of Vermont from 2010-2014. He was drafted by Florida in the second round in 2010.

    Last year Brickley tallied 22 goals and 25 assists for 47 points for San Antonio of the AHL. In 17 games so far in his NHL debut, he has a 1-3-4 mark.

    Thornton still winding up while career winding down

    In the stretch run of his career, Shawn Thornton is without a point this season in 15 games. Nonetheless, he took no time in pasting Zac Rinaldo after Boston’s bad boy drilled Brickley into the boards in the third period. Decision Thornton.

    Panthers in the playoff race until April

    Above .500 on the road and at home, Florida boasts a core of top-tier young talent in Aaron Ekblad and Erik Gudbranson on defense and Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Nick Bjugstad up front; a core of veteran presence in Willie Mitchell, Jaromir Jagr, Brian Campbell, and Jussi Jokinen. All supported with Roberto Luongo in net. They can only get better as the season progresses.

    McQuaid contains Jagr who can still bring it

    Entering Saturday, the Czech Republic native led all Panthers in scoring with 21 points in 27 games; his nine goals also lead the team. Jagr has settled in quite comfortably with his eighth NHL team since coming into the league in 1990-91 with Pittsburgh. Saturday was his 1,780th game in the NHL with a whopping 2,022 total career points.

    Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid was given the task of keeping the elite Jagr in check; he ended the game with no shots and a minus-1.

    “I think Adam McQuaid has been extremely good defensively for us for quite a while now,” Julien offered. “So we thought he was a good matchup for [Jagr] and that line.

    Bruins have Panthers’ number

    Boston had an 11-1-1 record in the last 13 games between the two. Make that 12-1-1 in 14.

    Another opportunity comes Monday. A win against the Oiler puts Boston .500 at home with an overall 7-7-1 record at TD Garden.

    “We want to start breaking away from those teams that are lagging behind us,” Zac Rinaldo said after Saturday’s win. “We want to show everyone that we’re the team that can stay consistent and break away from those teams behind us.”

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