Bruins Dominate First Period, Beat Panthers 4-1 to Remain Perfect at Home

Boston Bruins are 7-0-0 at TD Garden

The Boston Bruins delivered a physical and productive opening period Sunday, scoring three times in the first 16 minutes to power their way to a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers. Jeremy Swayman turned aside 40 shots, including 17 in the opening period, as Boston extended its winning streak to four games and improved to a perfect 7-0-0 at TD Garden. Elias Lindholm, Mikey Eyssimont and Morgan Geekie each scored in the opening period for Boston, which continued its strong start at home.

JJ Peterka added a goal, while David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha each contributed two assists. The Bruins also maintained their impressive goal differential at TD Garden, improving to plus-21. Boston entered Sunday’s matchup with the NHL’s second-best overall goal differential, trailing only Carolina.

Bruins Set the Tone With Physical First Period

The game got off to a heated start, with Boston’s 6-foot-7 defenseman Nikita Zadorov dropping the gloves against Florida’s 6-foot-1 forward Brady Tkachuk at the opening faceoff. The fight set the tone for a physical afternoon that eventually featured 126 total penalty minutes.

Just over six minutes later, Florida’s Garnet Hathaway squared off against Boston forward Mark Kastelic, adding to the early fireworks. Despite the physical play, Boston quickly took control on the scoreboard. Following a lengthy review, Lindholm was credited with the game’s opening goal at the 4:50 mark. His wrist shot deflected off Florida goaltender Jacob Markstrom and trickled toward the goal line as Markstrom attempted to pull the puck back with his glove.

Less than two minutes later, Eyssimont made it 2-0 after poking a loose puck into the net following a wraparound attempt. Geekie extended the advantage to 3-0 at 15:59, one-timing a shot past Markstrom for a power-play goal while Boston enjoyed a two-man advantage. It marked Geekie’s fourth consecutive game with a goal.

Swayman Comes Up Big as Panthers Try to Rally

Florida managed to get on the scoreboard with a power-play goal from Carter Verhaeghe, whose one-timer cut Boston’s lead to 3-1. However, Swayman continued to shut down the Panthers, finishing with 40 saves to preserve the Bruins‘ comfortable advantage. Markstrom stopped 32 shots for Florida.

Boston was playing its first game since a convincing 6-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Thursday. The Bruins entered Sunday’s contest well-rested and continued their strong stretch despite placing young star James Hagens on injured reserve Saturday.

The Panthers, meanwhile, have now lost three of their last four games. Florida swept its three-game season series against Boston last season, winning each matchup by a single goal, but the Bruins reversed that trend with a convincing performance Sunday.

Up Coming NHL Games for Panthers and Bruins

The Panthers will close out their three-game road trip Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets as they look to get back on track. Boston begins the second game of a four-game homestand Thursday night when the Bruins welcome longtime rival the Montreal Canadiens to TD Garden. For the Bruins, Sunday’s victory provided another statement about their early-season success, particularly at home, where they remain unbeaten through seven games.