Bobrovsky kept the lead intact in the third period, denying Zacha a golden opportunity from the left circle at 13:16. With less than nine minutes left on the clock, the Panthers scored big with the penalty kick, surrendering just two shots on goal to Boston’s power play.

At one point late in the third, the Panthers survived a two-plus minute stretch in which the Bruins held the zone before finally getting an out clear on some very crucial plays.

“We protected the middle of the ice really well,” Bobrovsky said. “There were a few blocked shots, good stick. It was resilience. Competing and competing for each other was excellent.”

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

After that, the Panthers didn’t even let the puck leave Boston’s zone until there were only a few seconds left.

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

They said it

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

“The big boys played big. That’s important. The young boys also played their part. It’s the start of the season, but those points are so important for us.” – Sergei Bobrovsky

“You have been in the front row since the start of the play-offs last year. He (Anton Lundell) has just increased his intensity and his level of competition. He comes out with the puck almost every time. With the big situations that have happened to him in his career, it’s easy to forget that he’s still so young. It’s incredible to see how he learns and adapts so quickly.” – Sam Reinhart

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

CAT STATISTICS

– Sam Reinhart becomes 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-for-13 (69.2%) in the faceoff circle.

– Jonah Gadjovich led the Panthers with seven hits.

– Sam Bennett fired six team leaders on target.

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

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

WHAT’S NEXT?

It’s three and one more to go on this season-opening road trip.

To conclude their four-game journey in the second half of a back-to-back, the Panthers will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday at 7:00 PM ET.

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