Post-Game Talk: GAME 66 - THE BEAR doesn't want to hibernate - BRUINS 3 Florida 2

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Panthers fanbase are like the new money folks showing up on Nantucket with cyber trucks and fancy cars when everyone else driving Volvos & jeeps. They’ve been a good team for 2-3 years? You’d think by the way they talk s*** they’ve been on a 2 decade long heater. Act like you’ve been there before.

Can’t believe I talked myself into rooting for those clowns when Marchand got moved there. F them. Looking forward to a Panthers collapse this spring
 
Best game of the year. Granted they didn't have Tkachuk and Ekblad (busted).
They still don't play with any chipiness. Lauko and Zad are the only ones that do.
FLA still had picnics in front of the net. Except for some times when Zad was out there.

Hope they don't play their way out of a top10 pick.
Kastelic?
 
Zaddy is exactly what this team needed since Chara retired. Love that guy!

No Coyle, No Carlo, No Freddy...........no problem!

Slap the C on Pasta, go get two more top 6 forwards, healthy McAvoy and Lindholm, we'll be back in the playoffs in 25-26
 
Literally WTF?

We were sellers at the deadline right? We were weren't we?

How is this team this much better after selling off pieces? They look so much faster and play with more pace and energy. From old and slow to young and fast in a subtraction deadline. Is Sweeney a genius or an idiot savant? That was one of the best games of the year.

Lohrei really coming into his own now. Confidence growing all the time. He's a force. Everything just looks so much better and some of these guys are just cast offs. I am so surprised and delighted. Will it last?

I also think Zadorov finally earned his money tonight and Bennett (punching a guy on the ice with a linesman on top of him is just a punk. But we knew that. Now, is Jokiharju making Zadorov better? Might want to think about re-signing him after all. Buffalo be crazy I think.

Thursday could be exciting.
Carlo and Coyle were entitled country club vets and it was addition by subtraction trading those losers. I've been screaming this since the first week of the season when they clearly no showed and took the entire summer off. So happy to be rid of both.
 
@Aussie Bruin - You have to wonder if Sweeney used the deadline to clear out players he thought were a problem in the room?

There is a path to a playoff slot. The key is to avoid regulation losses.


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I think maybe "problem" is too strong a term. I can't imagine someone as nice and seemingly hard-working as Carlo, for example, could ever be an active 'problem' in a locker room. But I do think it's quite likely Sweeney saw the need to shake up the playing group, change the leadership, trim things down a bit, and remove some elements that perhaps had become a bit too comfortable, familiar or complacent.

For whatever exact reasons, the mix the Bruins had pre-deadline simply was not working. The group now is leaner, hungrier, younger and has a very simple focus - play hard each day and try and win as many games as possible, and see where that takes you. Which of course should essentially be the goal of all pro sports teams, but there are so many things that can distract, disrupt or simply wear guys down over the course of a long season.

As for playoffs for sure the opportunity is still there. I think Ottawa is in good shape and getting close to being a lock, but that still leaves 1 spot up for grabs and all the teams battling for it are quite flawed. For the Bruins I think it's as I said - best for the players to just take each game on its merits, do their best, and see what happens. Almost all teams have good little patches. We have yet to see whether and how much they can sustain this one with what on paper is a very average roster.
 
I wished for either a Zacha or Lindholm goal. Neither have been scoring goals and we need more production from both to take some pressure off Pasta. Glad to see Zacha get the winner. Hopefully it will boost his confidence and get him shooting with more authority.
 
I wished for either a Zacha or Lindholm goal. Neither have been scoring goals and we need more production from both to take some pressure off Pasta. Glad to see Zacha get the winner. Hopefully it will boost his confidence and get him shooting with more authority.
Funny you should say that. Zacha's goal went 5 hole because he got maybe 60 percent of it. Zacha is just an average finisher. ...
 
I just love that they’re working their ass off. They don’t have all the talent yet, but the compete levels have been great the last couple of games. Add a few pieces in the offseason (there’s money to be spent) and I think they’ll be right back into the mix next season.

There’s some good things brewing here.

Obviously losing 63 sucks, but cutting some dead weight is a good sign.
Absolutely!

We got 99 problems, but an aging choking core ain't one!

Love me some Sweenius
I believe we went from one of the oldest teams in the league to one of the youngest. Nice to see some speed out there
 
I recorded it to show to my 5 year old granddaughter. She's having a procedure tomorrow so my daughter didn't want her to try to stay up late.
Thursday, my 13 year old grandson may be having a different procedure. So, God willing I can play the snowday version for them and their 11 year old sister if the come over this weekend.
If I can I'll watch it tonight at the end to see if they show it.
Best of luck to the grandkids!
 
When you want them to lose they win.
Sacco’s feet are getting stuck in concrete behind that bench
 

Nikita Zadorov insisted he was not trying to send a message. It was delivered anyway.

Zadorov punctuated the Bruins’ most emotional win of the season by delivering a couple stinging punches to Sam Bennett’s skull in the final seconds of Boston’s 3-2 win over the Panthers Tuesday night at TD Garden.

The Bruins erased a 2-0 deficit with three goals in just under eight minutes in the third period to post their first back-to-back wins since Feb. 1 and 4.

David Pastrnak, Mason Lohrei, and Pavel Zacha scored for Boston, which improved to 30-28-8.

While trying to get the equalizer, known agitator Bennett cross-checked Zadorov at the crease and Boston’s big defenseman was having none of it.

“I’m just playing hard. I’m in front, the guy cross-checks me in the face, I’ve got to step up for myself,” said Zadorov. “So, I think that was just the hockey moment over there. I wasn’t thinking to send a message or anything like this. I play hard against every player in the league, so you can call it sending the message, but it’s just my style.”

It’s a style that plays well in Boston.

Zadorov’s beatdown brought an already charged-up Garden crowd to a frenzy. On his way out the door Zadorov implored the crowd to get into it while simultaneously screaming at Bennett.

“I haven’t been that fired up in a long time,” said fellow defenseman Lohrei. “That was unbelievable. He does so much for us. Right before that [fight] he saved a goal. The puck on a play and then we all know what happened after that. So, I love watching him play.”

It was the third straight energy effort from the Bruins, who lost in the final seconds in Carolina before beating the Lightning and Panthers as they battle to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

“Where we are in the standings, that’s not where we want to be so hopefully, we’re going to be higher up and we can match up against those guys in the playoffs,” said Zadorov. “There’s definitely history in these two teams.”

“It has just been a lot of ups and downs this year, and I think we are kind of trying to find this consistency, trying to find this momentum,” said Zadorov. “There were a lot of guys who played with pride, and they played with their heart, and they try to prove something for either themselves or management or fans or their teammates. So, we play for something. So that’s what I see from the guys.

“All the guys since Friday have been showing up ready to work, ready to work ... play for the crest. There’s no quit in this team and we’re going to keep pushing it until the end. Obviously, we’re just trying to build a momentum that we haven’t had a whole year. So, I think you get a couple wins, you have to start feeling great, you feel confident inside the group. I think that’s a good thing. Something’s brewing for sure.”
 
I recorded it to show to my 5 year old granddaughter. She's having a procedure tomorrow so my daughter didn't want her to try to stay up late.
Thursday, my 13 year old grandson may be having a different procedure. So, God willing I can play the snowday version for them and their 11 year old sister if the come over this weekend.
If I can I'll watch it tonight at the end to see if they show it.

Best wishes for the little one.
 
what’s killing me is as much as I want them to win I really like Frondell as a prospect around where they will pick. Just something about his game makes me believe he is going to be a great two way center. He has some good company

Anton Frondell (2025) with a 2-points game tonight has tied David Pastrnak for second-most points in a U18 season in HockeyAllsvenskan at 24 points​

 
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Bruins have 'something brewing' after comeback win against rival Panthers | NHL.com

Bruins have 'something brewing' after comeback win against rival Panthers​

Boston only 2 points back of 2nd wild card, 'not going to quit' despite adversity

Swayman Koepke


BOSTON -- In a season that has been disappointing for the Boston Bruins, a season that has seen their captain shipped out of town and their Stanley Cup Playoff chances all but left for dead, there haven’t been a lot of these moments at TD Garden, the ones where the noise swells and the fans stand and the anticipation churns in their stomachs.

It was there again on Tuesday, against the opponent that swiped that captain, the opponent that has dashed their playoff hopes in each of the past two seasons, the opponent that has left them bruised, mentally and physically.

It was there as the Bruins came back from a two-goal deficit, scoring three times in the span of 7:47 in the third period to end the Florida Panthers' six-game winning streak, in the process earning their second straight victory against an Atlantic Division foe.

It was a spark in what has been an uncharacteristically dark season.

“It’s just been a lot of ups and downs this year, and I think we’re trying to find this consistency, trying to find this momentum,” defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. “There’s a lot of guys who play with their pride and they play with their heart and they try to prove something for either themselves or management or fans or their teammates. We play for something.

“So, that’s what I see. The guys show up. All the guys since Friday have been showing up, ready to work, ready to work their [butts] off and play for the crest. There’s no quit in this team, and we’re going to keep pushing until the end. We’re just trying to build the momentum we haven’t had the whole year. I think you get a couple wins, you start feeling great, you feel confident inside the group. I think that’s a good thing.

“Something's brewing, for sure.”

In the past week, the Bruins shipped out a boatload of talent, sending Brad Marchand to the Panthers, Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Charlie Coyle to the Colorado Avalanche, Trent Frederic to the Edmonton Oilers, and Justin Brazeau to the Minnesota Wild.

Their top two defensemen, Charlie McAvoy (shoulder) and Hampus Lindholm (knee), are out, with Lindholm likely done for the season.

This is not a team that should win a whole lot of games down the stretch.

And yet.

Last Thursday, they lost 3-2 on a freak play in the final seconds to the Carolina Hurricanes. Two days later, they shut out the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 before knocking off the Panthers on Tuesday. It’s as good a run as they have had. An unexpected one, too.

“We’re never going to give up,” defenseman Mason Lohrei said. “We know where we’re at. We’re just going to keep fighting. You saw it tonight.”

Earlier in the day, Panthers coach Paul Maurice, an astute observer, pointed out the situation the Bruins find themselves in, down and out, without the belief that usually attends every season and every game they play.

“They’re in a really interesting situation,” he said. “I watched their game against Tampa. How many years has it been since the Boston Bruins had the pressure come of them? In terms of what the expectation [is]?

“We’re talking about decades where, at the start of every year, they considered themselves a legitimate threat, and they were. ... It’s been a dominant team for a long time. So, there’s a bit of a reset here. But now you’ve got a bunch of guys -- and I never like to say, well, these guys are playing for jobs -- but there’s opportunities now that haven’t been here for a while.”

Maurice added that the game on Tuesday would be difficult, as difficult for the Panthers as it has been in a while.

He was right.

“We understand where we’re at in the standings,” Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco said. “And we understand what just transpired with our group. We have new players here. It’s an opportunity for these guys. Whatever motivates them, if it’s the underdog role, taking that on, if it’s, 'I have an opportunity here maybe that I did not have before somewhere else.'

“What I’m trying to do and we’re trying to do as a staff is, we want to see us come together as a team as quickly as we can. I think that produces winning hockey.”

For a while, it seemed that wouldn't come on Tuesday, with Boston falling behind 2-0, the second goal seemingly a dagger, coming as it did from Mackie Samoskevich with three seconds remaining on a 5-on-3 power play at 4:49 of the third period. But then, David Pastrnak found himself with room to drift to the net, where he was perfectly placed to receive a centering pass from newly acquired forward Casey Mittelstadt at 8:56.

However, it wasn’t until Lohrei came down the slot, picking up an errant clearing pass from Dmitry Kulikov and scoring past the glove of Sergei Bobrovsky at 13:51, that the cheers overtook what has, this season, been a far more staid crowd at TD Garden.

Maybe this game, they hoped, would be different.

And it was, with Pavel Zacha scoring the game-winning goal for the Bruins, beating Bobrovsky five-hole from the left circle off a backhand pass from Pastrnak at 16:43.

That wasn’t the end, though. It was in the final seconds that Zadorov and Sam Bennett dropped the gloves, a boiling over that was par for the course in a feisty game full of the bad blood these two teams have built up over the past three seasons.

The decibel levels rose.

“I haven’t been that fired up in a long time,” Lohrei said. “That was unbelievable.”

Perhaps it is too late for this team to start putting up wins, to try and get back into a playoff race that they all but conceded with their moves at the deadline. Still, the Bruins are only two points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference.

They have the Ottawa Senators up next, on Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre.

“Just a good, spirited game,” Sacco said. “That’s the type of hockey we want to play, right? We’re not going to quit. We’re going to battle right to the end, and that’s the Bruins, right? That’s what we want to be.”
 
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That's twice now that top teams have underestimated the post-deadline Bruins, thinking their spirits were broken, and paid for it. Twice that this revised rag-tag Boston group have played with real heart and energy and earned very solid wins. Is it sustainable? The immediacy of the deadline shocks and the desire to show a strong response will wear off, and future opponents would be foolish to think they can just cruise into games against the Bruins and get results. That lesson should have been learned now.

So we will see. But it is nice at least for now to see these guys really buying in, looking to make an impact, and not lying down in adversity. Players like Zadorov and Zacha are stepping up and taking more responsibility, Pasta is coming into his own as a more independent leader, and the additions are fitting in quickly and making a difference. There is an extra edge to their play and it's good to watch. Not reading too much into it, just enjoying these games as they come.
Pasta's leadership really showed last night.
 
I bet some fans threw in the towel and went to bed before the 3rd period (or during it) and will wake up in the morning shocked when they see the score
I went to bed at 2-0. Was debating if i should turn on tv. At 2-1 i said no. At 2-2 in my skivies i ran to living room turned on tv to see Zacha score. Lol
 

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