Panthers Begin Stanley Cup Defense with 6-4 Opening Night Win Against Bruins

Tuesday, October 8th, 2024

In the NHL season opener, Sam Bennett found the net twice, while both Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues added a goal and an assist each, leading the Florida Panthers to a 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins.

Additional goals for Florida came from Euto Luostarinen and Jonah Gadjovich, and Sergei Bobrovsky defended the net with 24 saves. Before the game, the Florida team celebrated their previous season's championship victory by raising the Stanley Cup banner.

Pavel Zacha, Charlie McAvoy, Trent Frederic, and David Pastrnak scored for Boston, which entered the game with five straight season-opening wins. Although Joonas Korpisalo started in goal over the newly acquired Jeremy Swayman, Panthers fans chanted for Swayman during the game.

Florida faced tension from Boston, with Matthew Tkachuk and officials being targeted. Boston's Max Jones attempted to slash Rodrigues but ended up hitting linesman Devin Berg, resulting in a penalty.

A couple of key moments occurred in the first period when Bennett and Luostarinen scored just 64 seconds apart, and later Reinhart and Bennett scored within a 60-second span, pushing Florida ahead to a 4-1 lead.

This matchup marked the 22nd encounter between the Panthers and Bruins since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, with both teams having won 11 games and scored 74 goals each.

Boston will kick off a three-game homestand against Montreal on Thursday, while Florida is set to begin a four-game road trip, starting in Ottawa on the same day.

Florida Panthers vs Boston Bruins Game Stats

Related Links

• Florida Panthers News & Updates
• Florida Panthers Schedule & Scores
• Boston Bruins News & Updates
• Boston Bruins Schedule & Scores
• NHL News