Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Bruins blast past Panthers
Pastrnak’s second goal secures 4-3 victory in OT
BOSTON — It wasn’t quite the homecoming that recently anointed coach Tom Rowe and several of his players with Boston roots were looking for.
While goalie Roberto Luongo did all he could do to keep his teammates close, the Panthers finally lost an overtime game as rising star David Pastrnak went around former Boston College defenseman Mike Matheson to hand Florida a 4-3 loss to the Bruins Monday night at TD Garden, where they’ve lost 10 of their last 11.
Pastrnak’s second goal and team-leading 15th came just 1:23 into OT to give Florida its first OT loss in six decisions.
The Panthers never seem to solve Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, now 17-3-1 against them. Rask, bouncing back from an off-year, entered the game with a 13-4-1 record and league-best 1.60 goalsagainst-average.
Rowe, a native of Lynn, just a long icing away from TD Garden, shuffled up all four lines in an effort to produce red lights, as the Panthers have scored just 10 regulation goals in their past eight games. It was a tough night for
Boston native Keith Yandle as the Panthers defenseman left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury.
Still, the Panthers lost their second consecutive Atlantic Divison matchup and fell to 1-2-2 on this season-long road trip (1-1-2 under Rowe) that will conclude with the red-hot Flyers on Tuesday.
Trailing 2-1 after two periods, the Panthers tied it at 7:54 when a slumping Reilly Smith fed Aleksander Barkov, who unleashed a rising wrister from the high slot, his fourth of the season and second in three games.
However, with 6:42 left, Ryan Spooner’s shot from the point was deflected by David Backes, who pitched a tent in front of Luongo all night.
As Luongo raced to the bench for the extra skater, defenseman Jason Demers was the recipient of a lucky carom off the end boards off a shot from Matheson that he swatted past a surprised Rask with 1:29 left to force overtime.
Luongo, playing in his 944th game to move past Curtis Joseph into fourth place in games played by a goalie, made two highlightreel saves on the Bruins’ first two power plays in the opening period to keep the Panthers in the game.
Finally, with 1:28 left in the first period Tim Schaller followed his own rebound in before sending it to David Krejci behind the net. As Schaller streaked past defenseman Aaron Ekblad, Krejci fed him in the slot for a one-timer to give Boston a 1-0 lead after one.
The Bruins were outshooting the Panthers 22-11 until Jaromir Jagr, who has had more partners than Elizabeth Taylor since Jonathan Huberdeau’s preseason injury, clicked on a goal at 9:44 of the second. After a long shift of puck possession, Ekblad spoonfed Jagr in between the circles for a trademark wrister, his fifth of the season and 754th of his career.
However, the Bruins got another late-period boost when Brad Marchand centered the puck to David Pastrnak for a snap-shot at 16:37.
Rowe was forced to shuffle his top line because of a lower-body injury sustained by Jon Marchessault — the team’s surprising leading scorer — in Ottawa Saturday. Rowe moved Malgin, their third-line rookie forward, with Jagr and Barkov.
Rowe scuttled the slumping second line of Smith, Vincent Trocheck and Jussi Jokinen by replacing Smith with Colton Sceviour. Smith dropped to the third line with Kyle Rau and Nick Bjugstad, while the fourth line consisted of Shawn Thornton, Derek MacKenzie and recent call-up Paul Thompson, who made his Panthers’ debut.
Malgin, 19, said he used to look at a poster of Jagr in his neighborhood gym when he was a young boy in Olten, Switzerland.
"I never think about that,’’ Malgin said. "Now it’s the moment tonight. I will enjoy it . ... Everybody knows him. It’s a dream to play with such great players.’’
Thornton honor
Rowe honored Thornton, a TD Garden favorite for his seven-year stint here, by sending him out for the ceremonial faceoff with New England-based Olympians such as Ally Raisman, and then on the starting line along with Trocheck and Jokinen for a 35-second shift.
Cifu on Gallant
Panthers co-owner Doug Cifu echoed what coach Rowe and co-assistant General Manager Eric Joyce have said was the main reason for the firing of coach Gerard Gallant eight days ago.
"It’s about accountability on all levels,’’ Cifu said on the Steve Dangle podcast. "Everybody’s got to be rowing in the same direction. As Tom said we had a philosophical difference with Gerard, a wonderful man and nice hockey coach who had a lot of success with us. This isn’t a popularity contest. He’s a very popular figure in Canada and other parts and I know it was a very polarizing decision, to put it mildly.’’
Cifu went on to say that although the AP photo of Gallant taking a taxi to get away from PNC Arena was blown out of proportion, he issued an apology for the embarrassment it caused the organization.