The time has finally come. Hockey is officially back. While the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres kicked things off in Prague, Oct. 8, 2024, has a three-game set in place. One of those teams that will be playing is the Boston Bruins.
The revenge tour is underway, as their opponent is the Florida Panthers. There have been teams in the past that seem to have the Bruins’ number, such as the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Brayden Holtby-led Washington Capitals. Now you can add the Panthers to that list, as they have been a thorn in the Bruins’ side for the past two seasons. However, this is the perfect team for the Bruins to start the season against and should motivate them to begin the 2024-25 season.
Bruins Are Playing with Extra Motivation
Every team dreams about winning the Stanley Cup. To be able to lift that trophy over your head and celebrate with your team, friends, and family is a dream come true. The Bruins have had Stanley Cup aspirations for quite some time and have been contenders since the 2017-18 season. However, they’ve run into trouble the last few seasons and that trouble has been the Panthers.
Credit to the Panthers’ front office; trading a star forward in Jonathan Huberdeau for Matthew Tkachuk shaped their culture and also changed their identity. Also, they made a coaching change, which shocked many and has paid off. The Bruins assembled the best roster and went on to have the most points ever (135) and win the Presidents’ Trophy in 2022-23. They met up with the Panthers in the first round, who came back down 3-1 in the series and left the Bruins heartbroken after winning in Game 7.
Fast forward to the 2023-24 season, the Bruins met up against them in the second round. The Panthers once again emerged victorious, winning the series 4-2. Also, they became Stanley Cup champions.
This is a team that has derailed the Bruins’ hopes of reaching the Stanley Cup Final and being champions. This should fuel the Bruins, as the Stanley Cup will be in the building and the banner will be raised to the rafters. A sour taste is still in their mouths from last season’s exit and having extra motivation going into game one is huge.
Take the Attack to the Panthers
Playing with extra motivation should have the Bruins’ legs energized. With energized legs, the Bruins will want to take the attack to the Panthers. It sounds cliche, but the Stanley Cup hangover can be a real thing and it’s crucial for the Bruins to pounce on the Panthers early.
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During the 2023-24 season, the Panthers were one of the best 5-on-5 teams when it came to defense. They are structured and do a great job of suppressing the opposition. They finished with the second-fewest shot attempts against and the second-fewest expected goals against. Also, they allowed the fewest goals against at 5-on-5 play and were difficult to score on. If you did get chances, capitalize on them because they did not come easy. For the Bruins, they’ll want to get through this force that is the Panthers’ defense, and with a deeper group up front, they should be able to.
The Panthers did lose key pieces on the back end, such as Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. They are deep as a team and play strong team defense. However, the Bruins’ big offseason addition should pay off. Adding center Elias Lindholm gives the Bruins a new-look top line that should be more dynamic offensively.
With Charlie Coyle coming off a career year, he will look to anchor the second line. The biggest addition is center Matthew Poitras, who has seen centering the third line but also getting a look at the second-line wing position. He brings enormous depth to the Bruins and was missed after he went down with an injury during the 2023-24 season.
With health on their side as well as depth, the Bruins taking the attack to the Panthers from the jump will be huge to watch for.
Matching the Panthers’ Physicality
Bigger, meaner, and stronger; the NHL is a copycat league. With the Bruins getting a good glimpse of the Panthers in the postseason, they’ve taken a page out of their playbook. Besides bringing structure and suppressing the opposition, the Panthers are an extremely physical team. In fact, they led the league in hits during the 2023-24 season with 2,348. The Bruins added that to their roster in the offseason.
Adding a player like Nikita Zadorov gives the Bruins that physical element they’ve been missing from the back end for quite some time. The days of the “Big Bad Bruins” are gone, but this brings that back into the fold. Zadorov finished the season with 177 hits, good for 22nd among defensemen. They also brought in Max Jones (127 hits) and Mark Kastelic (126 hits). Having players that can come in and wear down the opponent is huge. The other big thing, is the Bruins are now the heaviest team in the NHL, weighing 207 pounds. Also, their back end averaged at 6-foot-4 and weighs 220 pounds. This is something Zadorov has noticed and touched on in September.
“Look at our D corps. A lot of horses there,” Zadorov said at the Boston Bruins Foundation’s annual golf tournament at Pinehills Golf Club in Plymouth. “So it’s exciting. … If you look at the Panthers, you look at any team in the Atlantic Division, they’re big, they’re hard to play against. So I think we’re just gonna match the conference.”
The Bruins will need to bring this energy because the Panthers are no slouch of an opponent. They boast a lethal top-six unit with Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Evan Rodrigues, and Anton Lundell. They’ll want to use their weight to their advantage and smother the Panthers’ attack.
Bruins X-Factor: Joonas Korpisalo
The biggest X-factor for this game is going to be between the pipes. With Jeremy Swayman just signing, the keys to the crease belong to Joonas Korpisalo. Head coach Jim Montgomery named him the opening night starter. He has been stellar this preseason, which has been a sigh of relief for the Bruins goaltending position.
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Korpisalo finished his preseason with a 1.92 goals against average, a .936 save percentage, and 2.86 goals saved above expected. He was sharp in the high-danger areas of the ice and was completely dialed in. This is huge and if he can take this into game one, that’s even better.
Korpisalo will want to match Sergei Bobrovsky, who is a very good goaltender. This opening night game has everything and is going to be a great night of hockey.
A Great Way to Begin the Season
This is a great way to begin the season if you are the Bruins. As a team, they went on to defy the odds and outperformed anyone’s expectations during the 2023-24 season. With new additions, this team is deeper than last season and will have all the motivation going into puck drop. Exciting times are ahead for the Bruins, and it starts with the defending champions.
