The team that won the President's Trophy for most regular season points last season, the Florida Panthers, travel to Boston to take on a Bruins team that seems determined to win this year's President's Trophy with 50 points already this season. Florida comes in a full 16 points behind Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and is 5-5 in their last ten games. Boston, meanwhile, is 24-4-2 on the season and has yet to lose a home game in regulation. The puck drops at 7:00pm EST on Monday night.
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Can the scuffling Florida Panthers become the first team to take down the Bruins in regulation on their home-ice this season? Thus far this season, the Panthers have not looked like the team that dominated the regular season last year. In their last game, on Saturday night, the Panthers started to look more like themselves with a 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on the road. It was the fifth straight loss for New Jersey, who sits behind Boston for the best record in the Eastern Conference. Sam Reinhart scored two goals while Gustav Forsling and Carter Verhaege each scored as well in the big win. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 29 of 31 shots in the win.
“I feel good, I've got some rhythm,” said the 34-year-old Bobrovsky, who is third among active goaltenders in wins. ”The guys did a great job to compete. We are building chemistry.”
Started the trip off right ??#TimeToHunt
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) December 18, 2022
Florida has not displayed the same firepower they showed last season that led them to well over 100 points in the regular season. The team is 11th in goals per game and are #1 in the NHL in shots per game. Unfortunately, the Panthers are just 22nd in the league in shooting percentage. Florida's special teams have also failed to hold up their end of the bargain. The Panthers are just 27th on the power play this season and 17th on the penalty kill. The Panthers currently sit 19th in goals against average.
Key Injuries: C's Anton Lundell and Chris Tierney remain out while fellow center Colin White is day-to-day.