RECAP: Panthers fall 4-1 in Boston

BOSTON – In a highly physical game at TD Garden, the Florida Panthers fell 4-1 to the Boston Bruins on Sunday afternoon.

With the loss, the Panthers now sit at 9-7-2.

“I liked our start,” head coach Paul Maurice said after the game. “We’re down 3-0, but that was probably the best we were playing.”

Bringing the crowd to their feet right out of the gate, Brady Tkachuk and Nikita Zadorov dropped the gloves at the drop of the puck.

Breaking the ice for Boston, Elias Lindholm made it 1-0 at 4:53 on a wrist shot that had to be taken to review to see if it crossed the goal line.

Adding another for Boston shortly after, Michael Eyssimont got his first of the season at 6:11, giving the Bruins at 2-0 lead.

Getting a five-on-three man-advantage, Morgan Geekie extended the lead for Boston, making it 3-0 at 15:59.

Responding with a power play goal of his own, Carter Verhaeghe got the Panthers on the board with a snipe in the top corner at 18:05, cutting the deficit down to 3-1.

Assisting on the goal, Matthew Tkachuk picked up his 22nd helper of the year.

“Matthew is the ultimate leader,” said Aaron Ekblad. “An incredible playmaker, passer, knows when to bring the team into the fight, and proud to play alongside him.”

A penalty filled second period, similar to the first, both teams had their chances on the man-advantage, but were unable to cash in.

At the end of the period, each time had two players assessed 10-minute misconducts (FLA: Eetu Luostarinen & Brady Tkachuk, BOS: Hampus Lindholm & Zadorov).

Pushing the lead for Boston early in the third period, JJ Peterka made it 4-1 58 seconds into the frame.

Peterka’s goal would be the final of the game as the Bruins held on to win 4-1.

“It’s such an emotional game, so it’s kind of tough to judge right now,” said Verhaeghe. “It could be a couple things.”

THEY SAID IT

“The most impressive thing that you would find with the Tkachuk family is how those two young men treat the people that they interact with on a daily basis. They are so incredibly well-raised.” – Paul Maurice on Brady & Matthew Tkachuk

“Our team is definitely not backing down from anyone.” – Carter Verhaeghe on the physicality of the game

CATS STATS

- Carter Verhaeghe scored his sixth career goal at TD Garden (regular season & playoffs).

- Brady Tkachuk had a team-high eight shots.

- The Panthers out hit the Bruins 38-13.

- Jacob Markstrom made 12 high-danger saves.

- Sam Reinhart won 64.29% of his faceoffs.

WHAT’S NEXT?

One more stop.

The Panthers will finish their road trip with a visit against the Colombus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

To watch, visit PanthersPlus.tv.