RECAP: Bruins 3, Panthers 2

BOSTON – All good streaks eventually come to an end.

Letting their lead slip away in the third period, the Florida Panthers saw their six-game winning streak snapped in a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday.

Falling to 40-22-3, Florida remains in first place in the Atlantic Division.

“We had full control of the puck three times, and then didn’t,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the shift in play in the third period. “Those are plays we can execute on. So much of it is what you give them, what you get or what they take from you. That’s it.”

Breaking the ice in Beantown, Sam Bennett won a draw back to Dmitry Kulikov, who then blasted a long-range missile past Jeremy Swayman to make it 1-0 at 4:27 of the first period.

Getting back into the lineup after the recent suspension for Aaron Ekblad, Uvis Balinskis came up with a big play early when he stifled David Pastrnak on a potential breakaway.

A surgical start defensively, Florida held Boston to just six shots on goal in the first period.

Tested early in the second period, the Panthers killed off back-to-back power plays for the Bruins.

Clogging pass lanes with good sticks, Florida’s gritty killers held the Bruins to just three shots on goal and one scoring chance during their four minutes with the extra attacker.

Keeping their crease clean, the Panthers allowed only three high-danger shots on goal through the first two periods, with Sergei Bobrovsky gobbling up all three attempts.

On a 5-on-3 power play in the third period, the Panthers finally found the second goal they’d been looking for when Mackie Samoskevich teed up a pass from Seth Jones and fired a laser past Swayman from the left circle to make it 2-0 at 4:49.

With the primary assist, Jones earned his first point as a Panther.

“It was great,” Samoskevich said of the nifty feed from Jones, who’s only played four games since being acquired in a pre-deadline deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. “He set it up perfect. He set up the goalie perfect for me, and that’s all him. I had a wide-open net pretty much. I’ve loved his game so far and I think he’ll definitely help us along the way here.”

Ending Florida’s shutout streak, the Bruins cut their deficit in half with a power-play goal of their own soon after when Pastrnak beat Bobrovsky from in tight to make it 2-1 at 8:56.

In the end, the shutout streak lasted a franchise-record 186:49.

“It was solid,” Bobrovsky said of the team’s recent run of success. “Defensively, we played great. The penalty kill was great. All the ingredients and pieces are there.”

Back on the penalty kill soon after, the Panthers stood tall the second time around.

Finding the tying goal for Boston, Mason Lohrei scored from the slot to make it 2-2 at 13:51.

With 3:17 left, Pavel Zacha snuck a one-timer through Bobrovsky’s five-hole to make it 3-2.

After pulling their goaltender for a 6-on-5 advantage late in regulation, the Panthers thought they tied the game when Sam Reinhart poked the puck through Swayman’s pads with just 1:31 left.

But after a review, officials decreed they blew the whistle before the puck crossed the line.

In the third period, the Bruins led 9-0 in scoring chances at 5-on-5.

Their final battle of 2024-25, the Panthers finish the season series with a 2-1-1 record against the Bruins.

“I thought they had a good push,” Samoskevich said. “We knew they were coming. We’ve got to be ready next time. Overall, it’s a good thing for our group. These are the types of games you want to play in. We’ll definitely learn from this one.”

THEY SAID IT

“We’ve got a tough one in Toronto, and then both the teams we play at the end of the trip are fighting for their playoff lives. There’s a whole bunch of teams that are four or five points out, and they’re right there.” – Paul Maurice

“Up two [goals] going into the third, those are things you’re going to have to do in the playoffs. I think we’ve got to be harder defensively and just bear down on some pucks there. I think it’ll turn out good for our group.” – Mackie Samoskevich

“It was a good game, a good hockey game. Two competitive hockey teams played against each other. We lost our composure a little bit in the third and that cost us two points.” – Sergei Bobrovsky

CATS STATS

- Mackie Samoskevich has scored five goals in his last nine games.

- Dmitry Kulikov scored the 50^th goal of his NHL career.

- Every Panthers skater recorded at least one hit.

- Sergei Bobrovsky made four high-danger saves, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The road trip is heading north of the border.

In a clash between two teams hoping to claim the crown in the Atlantic Division, the Panthers will visit the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.

To find a place to watch the game in South Florida, click HERE.