by Murat Karul
In a thrilling hockey game on Monday night, Pavel Zacha’s overtime goal with just 84 seconds remaining on the clock secured a 3-2 comeback victory for the Boston Bruins against the Florida Panthers.
The Boston Bruins, who now boast an impressive record of 8 wins, 0 losses, and 1 overtime loss in nine games this season, rallied from a two-goal deficit. Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy also found the back of the net for Boston, with Linus Ullmark making 36 crucial saves against the team that ended their playoff run last season.
Aleksander Barkov played a significant role for the Florida Panthers, scoring one goal and assisting on another. Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves for the Panthers, who had eliminated the Bruins in the playoffs last season and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
Barkov opened the scoring for the Panthers six minutes into the game and helped extend their lead to 2-0 when he set up Sam Reinhart with a well-executed play. Marchand narrowed the gap with a goal, assisted by Jake DeBrusk, four minutes into the second period, and McAvoy tied the game seven minutes into the third period.
However, McAvoy was ejected in the final period after elbowing Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the head. The Bruins managed to kill off the five-minute power play, and the game headed into overtime, where Pavel Zacha secured the thrilling victory with a wrist shot from the right side.
Sam Bennett, making his season debut for the Panthers after missing the first seven games due to a lower-body injury, had to be helped off the ice in the second period following a collision with Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm. Boston’s Matt Grzelcyk, who left the game in the first period with an upper body injury, did not return.
In other news, the Boston Bruins announced the signing of forward Danton Heinen to a one-year contract with a $775,000 cap hit. Heinen, who previously played for the Bruins from 2016 to 2020 before being traded to Anaheim, had a productive season with the Penguins last year, tallying eight goals and 14 assists in 65 games.
Next up, the Florida Panthers will face the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night, while the Boston Bruins will host the Toronto Maple Leafs on the same evening.
