Bobrovsky maintained the lead in the third period, parrying Zacha on a golden opportunity from the left circle at 13:16. With less than nine minutes to play, the Panthers had a large lead in the penalty shootout and only had two shots on goal on Boston’s power play.

Sometime late in the third period, the Panthers endured a two-plus minute stretch in which the Bruins held the zone before finally gaining control after some very crucial plays.

“We protected the middle of the ice very well,” Bobrovsky said. “There were a few blocked shots, good hitter. It was resilience. The competition and the fight for each other were excellent.”

With 49.4 seconds left, the Bruins essentially ended any hope of a comeback when David Pastrnak, who had already been penalized for a cheap shot on Reinhart earlier in the game, beat Verhaeghe and sent the Panthers to the power play.

The Panthers then let the puck out of Boston’s zone just a few seconds before the end.

“I thought we played really well as a team today,” Lundell said. “We know Barky and Chucky are gone. You can’t make excuses. We have to be able to win without some guys in the lineup. I think today was a really good team effort from everyone. We really fought through this game.”

YOU SAID IT

“It wasn’t smooth, it wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty. That’s pretty much how we play.” –Paul Maurice

“The big guys played big. This is important. The young people also played their role. It’s the start of the season but these points are so important for us.” – Sergei Bobrovsky

“You’ve been in the front row since the playoffs started last year. He (Anton Lundell) has just increased his intensity and competitive level. He comes out with the puck almost every time. Given the big situations he’s faced in his career, it’s easy to forget that he’s still so young. Seeing him learn and adapt so quickly is just incredible.” – Sam Reinhart

“Today we just tried to speed it up and go as fast as we could.” – Anton Lundell

CAT STATISTICS

– Sam Reinhart became only the third player in franchise history to score a power play goal and a shorthanded goal in the same game.

– Anton Lundell went 9 of 13 (69.2%) from the faceoff circle.

– Jonah Gadjovich led the Panthers with seven goals.

– Sam Bennett fired a team-leading six shots on goal.

– Adam Boqvist posted a team-high 66.67 CF% at 5-on-5.

– According to NaturalStatTrick.com, Sergei Bobrovsky made five dangerous saves.

WHAT’S NEXT?

This season-opening road trip is three runs and one more to go.

Concluding their four-game trip in the second half of a back-to-back game, the Panthers will face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET at Nationwide Arena.

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