In their 100-year history, it’s only natural that the Boston Bruins develop some strong rivalries over the decades. When thinking about their rivals, the first two teams that come to mind are always the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs, two franchises that Boston has a long history with.
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In the past few seasons, a new rivalry has developed between the Bruins and the Florida Panthers. They’ve bounced Boston out of the playoffs the past two seasons. Both postseason series as well as their regular season matchups have cemented the fact that these two teams do not like each other. As a result, fans have been able to witness some seriously electric matches.
As the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Panthers are a very talented team with a great forward lineup, a solid defensive core, and a rejuvenated Sergei Bobrovsky holding down the net. As fellow members of the Atlantic Division, the odds are high that if the Bruins want to go far in the postseason, they’ll once again face off against Florida. If the team’s performance in the season opener showed anything, it’s that it will be a tough challenge for the current roster to defeat them.
Recent Matchups with Florida
Last season, the Bruins won all four of their regular season matchups against the Panthers. This came after Florida defeated them in seven games in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, ending their record-breaking 2022-23 season much earlier than anticipated. The 2023-24 matchups were some of the team’s best games as the roster clearly felt they had something to prove.
Of course, when it mattered most in the postseason, the Bruins were once again unable to come up with the win, losing in six games to the Panthers. After a terrific Game 1, it was pretty much straight downhill from there. Sure, there were some really bad calls from the referees, but at the end of the day, Florida was the better team. Boston’s inability to score and irresponsibility in their own zone was completely exposed. There was not much head coach Jim Montgomery could do to help push the team to a series win.
Boston’s record with the Panthers the last few seasons is a microcosm of what’s been going on with this team during that time, which is an excellent regular season team that can’t get it done when it matters most. The past two seasons, the Bruins took most by surprise with how good they were, remaining competitive while many thought their window was shut. But, by the time playoffs rolled around, the issues expected with the roster were exposed in full force.
Bruins’ Opening Night Mishap
To rub salt in the wound of last season’s postseason exit, the Bruins opened the 2024-25 season in Sunrise, Florida, being in the building while the team that eliminated them celebrated their Stanley Cup and raised their championship banner. Unfortunately, it didn’t provide the motivation one would hope and they lost to the champions, 6-4.
The game was not a great showing from Joonas Korpisalo in the net, who stayed in the entire game. He stopped 29 shots, and while he had some good saves, it didn’t make up for some of the stinkers he let in, particularly in the first period when the Panthers went up 4-1. But, of course, the blame does not entirely lay with him as the Bruins’ defensive issues from the playoffs were once again on full display. The team did not show up ready to play, looking slow, particularly in the first 10 minutes, and Florida took advantage of that, going up early and putting the game out of reach.
The Panthers know the Bruins well at this point. They know how to execute, and will take advantage of teams if they’re not ready to go when the puck drops. If Boston wants any shot at the Stanley Cup this season, they will have to defeat Florida, and opening night showed that they haven’t gotten that figured out quite yet. While the Bruins put up four goals, a lot of the same issues from the postseason were still prevalent. The most pressing of them is their lack of discipline in their own zone. As the old adage goes, defense wins championships, and the team still needs to figure that out.
Obviously, it is still incredibly early. There is a long time between now and April 2025, and so much can happen in the coming months. But given the last two postseasons, the Panthers are becoming a Thing for the Bruins, a monkey on their back they’ll have to defeat if they are to go far this season, presumably.
Bruins Figuring Things Out
There are some positives from the Bruins’ first few games of the season. They are scoring, something they obviously could not do in the playoffs last season. They are generating offense from the blue line, an area they have struggled with for several seasons now (basically since Torey Krug left). Through the first three games of the season, they had seven different goal-scorers. Jeremy Swayman looked good in net against the Canadiens and the Los Angeles Kings, despite missing the preseason with his contract holdout.
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There are always growing pains with the start of a new season, but the Bruins are figuring them out. There is plenty to be excited for this season, including Matthew Poitras’ return to the ice and Elias Lindholm’s great performance in Boston so far through the first couple of games.
Also rapidly approaching on the horizon, is their second meeting with the Panthers on Oct. 14. It will be another chance to match up against one of their current biggest rivals, and an opportunity to show that they can defeat the reigning champions. Florida may have been the better team last season, but it’s now 2024-25, and the Bruins are capable of beating them. They just have to start getting it all together.
