Panthers Hope To Change Their Luck Against Rival Bruins
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BOSTON (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – The Florida Panthers have a pair of big road Atlantic Division matchups in the next three days that will go a long way towards finding out who will finish on top.
The Florida Panthers attempt to halt a two-game slide and reclaim first place in the Atlantic when they visit the division-rival Boston Bruins on Thursday.
Florida sat atop the division for a while but has been jockeying with Tampa Bay for the top spot lately and enters its matchup in Beantown even in points with the Lightning, who technically occupy first place.
Jussi Jokinen has recorded at least one point in 13 of his last 14 games for the Panthers, who are coming off back-to-back losses to Detroit and the New York Rangers.
Boston squandered an opportunity to climb within one point of Florida as it suffered a 5-2 setback against the Rangers on Wednesday to complete a disastrous 0-4-0 road trip.
The Bruins have performed much better at TD Garden of late, earning at least one point in each of its five home games (3-0-2) this month.
Boston also has performed well against the Panthers, winning all three of their previous meetings this season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TVA, FSN Florida, NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (40-24-9): Jokinen has collected four goals and 12 assists during his hot streak to raise his season point total to 54 — one behind Jaromir Jagr for the team lead.
The 32-year-old Finn eclipsed the career-high assist total of 38 he set as a rookie with Dallas in 2005-06 by notching his 39th in the setback against New York and needs 11 points in his last nine games to match his personal best of 65, which he registered with Carolina in 2009-10.
Vincent Trocheck is tied for second on the team with 23 goals, one behind Jagr for first on the club, and has tallied in three of his last four games.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (39-27-8): Boston hopes to have Tuukka Rask in net as the Finnish goaltender allowed two goals on eight shots in the first period Wednesday while battling an illness and spent the final two sessions on the bench.
Lee Stempniak, who has played for six different teams during the last three seasons, is two tallies away from reaching the 20-goal plateau for the third time in his career and first since netting a personal-best 28 in 2009-10 — when he scored 14 with both Toronto and Arizona.
Patrice Bergeron, who leads the team with 62 points, notched an assist versus New York to end his four-game drought but has not tallied since recording a two-goal performance at Florida on March 7.
OVERTIME
- Bruins LW Brad Marchand tops the club with a career-high 34 goals but has gone six games without one.
- Florida C Jiri Hudler has collected 10 goals and six assists in 12 career games against the Bruins.
- Boston will hold a pregame ceremony to honor Claude Julien, who became the winningest coach in franchise history when the Bruins edged the Panthers in overtime in their last meeting March 7 in Florida.
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