On his birthday, Jake DeBrusk had two goals and an assist to lead the Boston Bruins to a 5-3 win over the visiting Florida Panthers on Monday night.
Boston never trailed after Patrice Bergeron scored at 12:35 of the second period, opening a span of three consecutive goals and four of the game’s last six for the Bruins.
Bergeron logged a goal and an assist while Connor Clifton helped on the Bruins’ first two tallies of the third period by David Pastrnak and Trent Frederic, the latter of which stood as the game-winner.
Linus Ullmark made 37 saves for his second win of Boston’s three this season.
Massachusetts native Colin White and Gustav Forsling each had a goal and an assist for Florida, which had won its first two games. Sam Bennett also lit the lamp, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 stops.
After sitting out Saturday with an upper-body injury, DeBrusk returned to the lineup and scored an unassisted goal only 21 seconds into the game. He roofed Boston’s first shot on goal over Bobrovsky after deflecting a puck into the neutral zone and gliding up the right wing.
Florida knotted the score at 4:32 of the middle frame as Matthew Tkachuk threaded a pass across the grain to Bennett for a tap-in goal at the left post.
Just eight seconds after an Ullmark breakaway save, Boston jumped back in front as DeBrusk rushed to a loose puck and dished a no-look backhand across the ice to Bergeron on the right side for the score.
The Bruins padded their lead at the 7:01 marker of the third period. Just after a power play expired, Pastrnak slipped through traffic in the slot and buried a five-hole goal.
Frederic made it 4-1 by sneaking a wraparound past Bobrovsky off A.J. Greer’s feed from behind the net with 7:29 left.
Florida responded 27 seconds later on a Forsling ripper from the blue line before White tapped in a loose puck at the crease with 1:37 left.
DeBrusk hit an empty netter to ensure the Boston victory with 1:03 remaining.
Florida’s Brandon Montour was a late scratch due to an upper-body injury, leaving coach Paul Maurice’s lineup with just five defensemen.
Aaron Ekblad, who went down the tunnel after Bergeron’s goal, didn’t return to the bench for the third period.
–Field Level Media
