Sam Bennett netted two goals, while Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues contributed with a goal and an assist each, leading the Florida Panthers to a 6-4 victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. This match marked the opening game of the season for both teams and kicked off Florida’s defense of their Stanley Cup title.
Euto Luostarinen and Jonah Gadjovich also found the back of the net for the Panthers, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky recorded 24 saves. Prior to the game, Florida celebrated by raising their championship banner.
For the Bruins, Pavel Zacha, Charlie McAvoy, Trent Frederic, and David Pastrnak scored. Boston had previously won five straight season openers, while the Panthers have a record of 4-1 in their last five.
Boston opted for Joonas Korpisalo in goal instead of the recently signed Jeremy Swayman, who completed his eight-year, $66 million contract on Sunday. Korpisalo made 29 saves during the contest. During the game, with a score of 5-1 in favor of Florida in the second period, Panthers fans chanted “We want Swayman.”
The match featured some physical play, particularly directed at Matthew Tkachuk, given his history with the Bruins. An incident also occurred when Boston’s Max Jones tried to slash Rodrigues but ended up hitting linesman Devin Berg, resulting in a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The Panthers scored quickly in the first period, with Bennett and Luostarinen scoring just 64 seconds apart to take a 2-0 lead. Although Boston responded with a goal, Reinhart and Bennett then struck again within exactly 60 seconds of one another, extending Florida’s lead to 4-1.
This matchup marked the 22nd encounter between the Panthers and Bruins since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, the most of any two teams in that period. The records stand equal, with both teams each winning 11 games and scoring a total of 74 goals.
Boston will begin a three-game homestand against Montreal on Thursday, while Florida embarks on a four-game, six-day road trip starting in Ottawa the same day.