BOSTON – Boston’s Pavel Zacha scored the game-winner with 3:17 left in regulation to punctuate the Bruins’ three-goal third period in a 3-2 win over the visiting Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
On the clinching goal, Zacha was the beneficiary of a backhand pass from David Pastrnak, who spun off a check in the corner and dished a backhand pass out to the crease.
Pastrnak was the lone Bruin with multiple points (one goal, one assist). His 33rd goal of the season came on the power play and got Boston on the scoreboard with 11:04 left in regulation.
Mason Lohrei also scored and Jeremy Swayman stopped 26 shots for the Bruins, who have won back-to-back games since finalizing a series of deadline transactions that included dealing captain Brad Marchand to Florida. The longtime Bruin didn’t suit up against his former team in this one.
Dmitry Kulikov and Mackie Samoskevich scored for the Atlantic Division-leading Panthers, who had a six-game win streak snapped.
Sam Bennett and Seth Jones had one assist each for Florida, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves.
Florida led 28-24 in shots on goal, and special teams played a role with both teams finding the back of the net during a power play.
Minutes after Bobrovsky stopped Pastrnak’s partial breakaway, Casey Mittelstadt centered a pass that found the star winger on the doorstep for the first Boston goal.
The Bruins then tied the game with 6:09 left, as Lohrei skated into the slot and fired a wrist shot past Bobrovsky. Jakub Lauko won a puck battle along the wall to create the play.
Kulikov netted Florida’s second shot for the game-opening goal at 4:27 and ultimately took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The defenseman sent a one-timer from the high slot past Swayman, triggering the shot directly off a Bennett faceoff win.
The hosts generated quality chances on back-to-back power plays in the second, but were unable to find a tying goal on either. Bobrovsky made a key stop as the first advantage expired, getting a piece of Pavel Zacha’s drive from the right circle that Ian Mitchell set up.
Swayman recovered from a potential misplay of a carom off the boards, keeping his team in a one-goal game when he dove back to stop Anton Lundell’s open chance with 5:47 left in the second.