Bruins/Panthers Rivalry Cemented With 2023-24 Matchups

To recap the wins, the teams first met on Oct. 30 in another game that went to overtime in Boston. The OT winner in that game came from Pavel Zacha . Their second matchup came right before American Thanksgiving on Nov. 22. It was a 3-1 victory that saw 27 saves from Linus Ullmark and ended the Panthers’ six-game win streak. Their third meeting was on Mar. 26, a comeback victory for the Bruins, who scored twice in the final five minutes to tie and then take the lead. 

In the Bruins’ four games against the Panthers, 17 different players registered points, including an assist for Jeremy Swayman. In comparison to fellow Atlantic Division rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs, who the Bruins also faced four times in 2023-24 and won all four games, 13 players had points. The standouts in the games against Florida are Charlie McAvoy, who had three of his 11 goals so far this season against them and four total points, and Zacha, who had two goals and five points in the four games. 

What this illustrates is that the Bruins’ victories against the Panthers were full-team efforts this season. Three out of the four of the games came down to one goal. The team had nine different goal-scorers in those games, so they weren’t just winning them on the backs of their top point-getters of the 2023-24 season. 

Again, this doesn’t make up for the disappointment of the team’s first-round exit in the 2023 Playoffs. The fans have not forgotten about it, and this illustrates to some extent that the Bruins haven’t either.

What This Means for the 2024 Playoffs

The Bruins are a very good team. The Panthers are too. With this latest victory, Boston gained a five-point lead on Florida in the standings with four games left to be played. The team has not clinched first in the division yet, but it is looking fairly likely that they will be the top team coming out of the Atlantic yet again. Still, if Florida manages to surpass them and the Bruins drop to second, it wouldn’t be the worst thing as they still wouldn’t have to face each other.

While it would be somewhat poetic if the two teams faced each other in the first round again, it is ultimately better to avoid that. While the Bruins could have some confidence with their victories, the postseason is always an entirely different beast. Unless both Boston and Florida lose all four of their final games, and Toronto, who is currently third in the division with 97 points and six games left to play, wins all six to go into first, they will not face each other in the first round again. Florida is a fantastic team and the matchups this season were all battles. It’s not a bad thing to (hopefully) push that battle to a later round, though given the sheer hatred these two teams seem to have for each other, it would be a great series. 

Most importantly, the Panthers are not the only playoff-bound team they’ve played well against this season. As mentioned above, they also won all four games against the third place in the Atlantic Maple Leafs and are 22-7-8 this season against teams currently in a playoff position. It is the best out of playoff teams in the Eastern Conference. 

The Bruins have the capabilities to make a deep playoff run this season, now they just need to actually do it. While they most likely won’t meet in the first round, there is still a chance of a playoff matchup between the two teams in the second round, and what a series that would be. These are two teams that do not like each other, and a playoff series would certainly bring out the best in both teams.

Bruins Peaking at Right Time

With this final victory over the Panthers, the Bruins bring their current win streak up to four. It has been a complete turnaround since the team was chewed out at practice by head coach Jim Montgomery a few weeks ago. Most importantly, they’re not giving up as many leads late, instead, they’re fighting back late to win games (like they did in their March 26 matchup with the Panthers) and holding onto leads.

Things are cruising for the Bruins as they head into the postseason, save for a recent injury to Justin Brazeau, who has been incredibly impactful on the fourth line since his callup earlier this season with five goals and seven points in 19 games while averaging only 11 minutes of ice time a night. He is week to week, but luckily, they have Pat Maroon coming back soon to hopefully help with the bottom six going into the playoffs. 

The Bruins have successfully battled their demons in the 2023-24 regular season. Now it is just a matter of getting themselves out of the first round of the playoffs after early exits last season and the one prior.