Sam Bennett netted two goals, while Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues each contributed a goal and an assist as the Florida Panthers kicked off their Stanley Cup title defense with a 6-4 victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.
Euto Luostarinen and Jonah Gadjovich also found the net for Florida, with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky making 24 saves. The Panthers celebrated their championship banner raising prior to the game.
For Boston, Pavel Zacha, Charlie McAvoy, Trent Frederic, and David Pastrnak scored goals, but the loss snapped their streak of five straight opening night victories. Meanwhile, Florida improved its record to 4-1 in its last five season openers.
In a surprising move, the Bruins started Joonas Korpisalo in goal instead of Jeremy Swayman, who had just signed an eight-year, $66 million contract. Korpisalo recorded 29 saves, but Panthers fans voiced their desire for Swayman during a rough patch in the game when the score reached 5-1 halfway through the second period.
The match featured some heated exchanges, particularly aimed at Matthew Tkachuk due to past encounters with the Bruins. A notable moment occurred when Boston’s Max Jones attempted to slash Rodrigues but inadvertently struck linesman Devin Berg, resulting in a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The Panthers made quick work of the Bruins early on, scoring two goals in rapid succession during the first period. Bennett and Luostarinen struck just 64 seconds apart to establish a 2-0 lead. After Boston responded, Reinhart and Bennett each found the net within exactly 60 seconds of each other, bringing the score to 4-1.
This game marked the 22nd matchup between the Panthers and Bruins since the start of the 2022-23 season, the highest number of games played between any two teams in that timeframe. Both teams have now each claimed 11 victories in those meetings, and the cumulative score stands at 74 goals each.
The Bruins are set to kick off a three-game homestand against Montreal on Thursday, while the Panthers will head to Ottawa for the beginning of a four-game, six-day road trip on the same day.