The Florida Panthers -- off to the best seven-game start in franchise history -- defeated the visiting Boston Bruins 4-1 on Wednesday night in Sunrise, Fla.
Florida (7-0-0) got one goal each from Mason Marchment, Eetu Luostarinen, Anthony Duclair and Owen Tippett (empty net). The Panthers also benefited from Sergei Bobrovsky's 30 saves, three assists from Gustav Forsling and two assists from Sam Reinhart.
The Panthers are just the 14th NHL team to start a season 7-0-0.
The Panthers have at least four goals in every game this season, and Bobrovsky has started with five straight wins for the first time in his career.
Marchment and Luostarinen became the 13th and 14th Panthers players to score this season. The speedy Duclair's goal was his team-high fifth.
Besides getting balanced scoring, the Panthers are playing strong defense. They held Boston's top line of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron without a point. They combined for nine shots on goal, but they were a net minus-6 in the plus/minus stat.
Instead, Boston got a goal from Charlie Coyle and 23 saves from Linus Ullmark.
Boston went 0-for-2 on its power play. Florida failed on its only man-advantage situation.
Both teams scored once in the first period. Coyle's centering pass from behind the net deflected in off Tippett to put Boston up 1-0. Jack Studnicka got the assist, a reward for his check that forced a turnover by Forsling.
Less than four minutes later, the Panthers tied the score. Reinhart dug the puck out of the corner and fed Marchment, who scored on a wrist shot from the right circle.
Florida took a 2-1 lead with 2:06 gone in the second. Reinhart circled around the right side before firing a centering pass to Luostarinen, who was knocked down from behind by a Bruins player. Even so, Luostarinen redirected the puck, scoring from his knees.
The Panthers made it 3-1 with 7:20 left in the game on Duclair's breakaway goal. Aaron Ekblad got the primary assist for his long stretch pass, and Duclair did the rest, deking and then sweeping the puck just inside the far post.
Tippett's empty-netter with 26 seconds left sealed the deal for Florida.
--Field Level Media
Boston | Florida | |
Charlie Coyle 1 | Points | Gustav Forsling 3 |
Charlie Coyle 1 | Goals | Anthony Duclair 1 |
Jack Studnicka 1 | Assists | Gustav Forsling 3 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Linus Ullmark .885 | Save Percentage | Sergei Bobrovsky .968 |
Linus Ullmark 23 | Saves | Sergei Bobrovsky 30 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Boston | 31 | 1 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 2 | 37 |
Florida | 27 | 4 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 4 | 19 |