The Boston Bruins got a huge win over the Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers, edging the Cats 3-2 on Tuesday night at TD Garden. The Bruins came back from a 2-0 deficit to score three times in the third period to end the Panthers’ six-game winning streak.
David Pastrnak (PPG), Mason Lohrei and Pavel Zacha scored for the Bruins. Meanwhile, Dmitry Kulikov and Mackie Samoskevich (PPG) got the tallies for the Panthers.
Here's a closer look at the three most impressive Bruins players from their win over the Panthers.
3 most impressive Boston Bruins players from 3-2 win over Florida Panthers
#3. Pavel Zacha
Pavel Zacha has had somewhat of a tough season for the Boston Bruins. He hasn’t produced at the level expected of him at the outset of the season. But on Tuesday night, he was the key figure for Boston, scoring the game-winner at the 16:43 mark of the third period.
Here’s a look at the goal:
David Pastrnak made a big play along the boards to get the puck in front to a wide-open Zacha who buried a quick shot past Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky. Zacha deserves plenty of credit as he got the shot away quickly enough to give Bobrovsky very little time to react.
Zacha’s game-winner was his 13th of the season, which is something he can hopefully build on down the stretch.
#2. Jeremy Swayman
Jeremy Swayman played a solid game for the Boston Bruins. He stopped 26 shots en route to his 20th win of the season in 47 games. With the strong outing, Swayman lowered his GAA to 2.91 and boosted his SV% to .899.
While Swayman’s numbers this season are below his career averages, they are trending in the right direction. Like Zacha, the Bruins hope Swayman can build on a strong finish to the season as the team looks forward to a better season next year.
#1. David Pastrnak
David Pastrnak earned the game’s first star on the strength of his two-point performance. First, he got the Bruins on the board with his 33rd goal of the season at the 8:56 mark of the third period. The power play tally brought the Bruins to within one.
Here’s a look at the goal:
Pastrnak made the Panthers pay for leaving him alone in front of the net. The tally gave the Bruins life, leading Mason Lohrei to tie the game later in the third.
Ultimately, it was Pastrnak’s big play along the boards to set up Zacha’s game-winner that made him the most impressive player for the Bruins on the night.
The Bruins will get the day off on Wednesday before taking on another division rival, the Ottawa Senators, on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre.
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