Bruins score three in third to beat Panthers

By Canadian Press on March 11, 2025.

BOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak had one goal and assisted on Pavel Zacha’s winner as the Boston Bruins scored three times in the third period to overcome a two-goal deficit and beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Four days after Bruins captain Brad Marchand was traded to the Panthers, his old team beat his new one and sent the defending Stanley Cup champions to their first loss in seven games. Boston, which had lost eight of nine heading into the trade deadline, has since won back-to-back games against likely playoff teams from Florida.

The former Bruins captain was well-represented in jerseys in the crowd, including a pair of fans wearing brand new No. 63 Panthers sweaters along the glass next to the penalty box.

Dmitry Kulikov scored to snap a 46-game drought, and Mackie Samoskevich made it 2-0 early in the third period on a five-on-three power play. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots for Florida, which had won 11 of its previous 13 games.

But Boston made it 2-1 when Casey Mittelstadt, one of the team’s trade deadline acquisitions, found Pastrnak in front midway through the third. Mason Lohrei tied it with 6:09 left, and then Pastrnak fed Zacha for the winner with 3:17 left.

Jeremy Swayman made 24 saves for the Bruins.

DEVILS 5, BLUE JACKETS 3

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jesper Bratt had a goal and two assists, Luke Hughes added a goal and an assist, and New Jersey beat Columbus.

Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Paul Cotter also scored and Cody Glass had two assists to help the Devils win their second straight after losing four of five. Jacob Markstrom finished with 17 saves.

Mathieu Olivier scored twice and Kirill Marchenko also had a goal for Columbus, which has lost three of their last four. Elvis Merzlikins had 22 saves.

Hischier, Cotter and Bratt scored in New Jersey’s three-goal first period before Olivier and Marchenko scored nearly four minutes apart in the second to pull Columbus within one.

Meier pushed the lead to 4-2 with 3:11 left in the middle period, and Hughes restored the three-goal lead 26 seconds into the third.

SENATORS 5, FLYERS 2

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brady Tkachuk scored 24 seconds into the game, Michael Amadio scored the go-ahead goal and Ottawa beat Philadelphia.

Tkachuk scored on the opening shift of the game, one-timing a pass from former Flyer Claude Giroux past Ivan Fedotov for his 27th of the season and the 400th point of his NHL career.

The teams traded goals until Amadio put the Senators ahead for good with a wrist shot at 15:01 of the second period.

Jamie Drysdale and Rodrigo Abols scored for the Flyers, who lost their fifth straight game — all at home.

Anton Forsberg had 20 saves for the Senators and Fedotov finished with 19.

PENGUINS 3, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2, OT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Erik Karlsson scored 49 seconds into overtime to lift Pittsburgh past Vegas.

Vegas tied it late in regulation on a slapshot by Noah Hanifin with 6 seconds remaining.

The Golden Knights never touched the puck in the extra period. Pittsburgh controlled the faceoff and held onto it until Karlsson ripped his ninth goal of the season from just above the right circle.

Sidney Crosby scored twice for Pittsburgh, which has won two straight. The Penguins superstar now has 23 goals on the season, including five in his last five games. Tristan Jarry made 35 saves in his first home start in nearly two months.

HURRICANES 4, LIGHTNING 1

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Seth Jarvis scored a short-handed goal, Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 23 shots, and Carolina beat Tampa Bay.

Jordan Martinook, Jack Roslovic and Sean Walker also scored for the Hurricanes, who won their fifth straight.

Gage Goncalves had a goal for Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves. The Lightning lost for just the third time in their last 13 games.

Jarvis’ goal at 4:29 of the first period was his team-leading fourth short-handed tally of the season and one behind Florida’s Sam Reinhart for the league lead. Martinook increased the lead to 2-0 with 7:04 remaining in the second, and Roslovic converted a 2-on-1 for his 100th career goal and a 3-0 advantage with 45 seconds to go in the period.

Goncalves got the Lightning on the scoreboard at 4:38 of the third, but Walker restored the three-goal lead nearly two minutes later.

The Associated Press