GNT: Panthers vs. Bruins | 7pm ET | All Eyes on Seguin

[SLY]

VS.

PANTHERS (15-8-4) at BRUINS (17-8-1)
TV: FS-F, NESN (HD)
Last 10: Florida 6-3-1; Boston 8-1-1
27 GP 26
15 W 17
8 L 8
4 OT 1
34 P 35
0.630 P% 0.673
2.85 G/G 3.31
2.44 GA/G 2.04
20.4 PP% 16.8
82.7 PK% 86.9
31.1 S/G 33.2
31.4 SA/G 30.4
49.9 FO% 55.1

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Season Series:
First of four meetings, with Florida visiting Boston twice over the next 16 days. The Bruins swept the Panthers last season and were led by 4 goals from Milan Lucic, who had the hat trick in a 4-0 win on Nov. 18, 2010.

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Big Story:
Boston's scintillating 14-0-1 run finally ended Tuesday in Winnipeg, and with a regulation win Thursday the Panthers would pass the Bruins in the Eastern Conference standings. In fact, Florida could find itself holding down the top seed by night's end with a regulation win and a regulation loss by Pittsburgh against Philadelphia.

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Team Scope

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Panthers:
This is just the latest in what Florida forward Stephen Weiss termed a season full of big games for a franchise that last tasted the playoffs in the spring of 2000. Weiss made those remarks prior to Monday's 5-4 win over Washington, the four-time defending champions of the Southeast. The Panthers had lost the previous game they played against the Capitals this season, but rode power-play goals by Weiss, Dmitry Kulikov and Sean Bergenheim to a 5-1 lead before holding on for the two points. Weiss added a second goal that held up as the game-winner.

"This isn't to take anything from the teams we had in the past, but we have a different mindset here and different attitude as well as a different skill set," said goalie Scott Clemmensen, who stopped 28 shots. "It's been working so far for us. Hopefully, the League and the other teams in the division are going to take notice of us."

Bruins:
For the first time since an Oct. 29 loss to Montreal left the reigning Stanley Cup champs seemingly in tatters, Boston dropped a game in regulation Tuesday, 2-1 in Winnipeg. The five-plus weeks in between saw the Bruins transform from bottom-feeders back into one of the top teams in the League, with a shootout loss to the Red Wings in the Discover NHL Thanksgiving Showdown on Nov. 25 the only blemish to an otherwise perfect month. Their loss to the Jets came with sophomore scoring sensation Tyler Seguin scratched because he overslept and missed a team meeting earlier in the day.

"He's a smart kid," said forward Shawn Thornton, who scored the Bruins' only goal Tuesday. "It's only his second year, but he gets it. We've all been through it. We've all made mistakes."

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Who's Hot:
Weiss has recorded consecutive 3-point games for the Panthers, totaling 3 goals and 3 assists. Kulikov also had a 3-point night Monday and has goals in consecutive games. … Thornton and linemates Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille have combined for 2 goals and 4 assists over the Bruins' last two games.

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Injury Report:
Florida goalie Jose Theodore (flu) and forward Mark Cullen (upper body) are day-to-day. Forwards Scottie Upshall (upper body), Matt Bradley (upper body), Marcel Goc (concussion-like symptoms) and Mikael Samuelsson (groin) are on injured reserve, though Samuelsson could be activated and make his debut for the team. He's been sidelined since suffering a groin injury in an Oct. 18 game for Vancouver, which traded him four days later as part of a package to acquire David Booth.

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Stat Pack:
Weiss has five 3-point efforts in his last 11 games and leads the Panthers in scoring with 29 points. … Seguin and Bruins captain Zdeno Chara lead the League with a plus-19 rating, followed by teammate Chris Kelly at plus-16. Brad Marchand is tied for fourth at plus-15 with Weiss and his teammate, Tomas Fleischmann.

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Puck Drop:
With realignment into four conferences expected to take effect for the 2012-13 season, Florida would see a whole lot less of current Southeast Division rivals Carolina and Washington, and more of the current Northeast teams, including Boston.

"We're in a conference with teams that have always drawn very well," team president Michael Yormark told the Miami Herald. "Each year, Toronto and Montreal are featured teams. Boston and Buffalo always draw well. And [Tampa Bay] is developing into a great intrastate rivalry."

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[SLY]

Player to Watch

QUINCY — These are the tickets people gave away, or sold. After all, who wants to see a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs in more than 10 years, when people in that team’s own market haven’t gone to games for so long?

And look what happens: It’s a night for Tyler Seguin to redeem himself, a situation the Bruins haven’t faced in more than a month – they’re coming off a real, live, regulation loss – and the Florida Panthers are a division leader that can pass Boston in the Eastern Conference standings by winning in regulation.

Given the season he has had, his popularity, and the reason for his absence from Tuesday’s 2-1 loss at Winnipeg, Seguin’s return to the lineup will probably attract more attention than the fact that the Bruins must try to bounce back from their first loss since Oct. 29 against a good team. Everyone will be interested to see how the 19-year-old forward reacts to being pulled from Tuesday’s lineup because he overslept through a team breakfast in Winnipeg, and having it become public knowledge that it wasn’t his first no-show.

An argument can be made that if Seguin had played Tuesday, the Bruins might be 15-0-1 or 14-0-2 entering tonight’s game. He’s their leader in goals (13) and points (25), and their best pure shooter. A counter-claim can be made that the unbeaten streak had been extended without much recent production from Seguin. He led the way at first (7 goals, 10 points in the first five games), then contributed only a single goal and 4 points over the next nine.

The point being made by coach Claude Julien – undoubtedly with input from and the approval of general manager Peter Chiarelli – underscores the second argument: The Bruins won the Stanley Cup, and went 15 games without a loss in regulation until Tuesday, by playing as a team. No one player, no one defenseman, no one forward line, carried the team on his back for more than a month.

Tim Thomas won all 10 games he played, but he didn’t play all 15, and he couldn’t have done it if his defense wasn’t so sound. Zdeno Chara has played some of the best hockey in his six years in Boston, but his defense partner (Johnny Boychuk), Thomas, and No. 2 goalie Tuukka Rask helped make him look so good. Every line went through hot streaks, but also had slumps.

Julien will hold some players’ hands and kick others butts’ on occasion, but he won’t – and can’t – do either forever, because it’s not fair to the 19 other players who are doing what they’re supposed to do. Repeated mistakes, whether they’re made on or off the ice, carry severe consequences.

If you take too many bad penalties (Brad Marchand knows this), or take a few too many shifts off (everyone on the Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton line knows this), you don’t get to play when you expect to play. If you miss too many breakfasts or meetings, as Seguin (and every Bruin) knows now, you don’t get to play at all. No exceptions.

It’ll be a shock if Seguin, who owned up to his misdeed while still in Winnipeg, doesn’t rebound against the Panthers. His teammates and fans will be in his corner. One of his jobs tonight is showing everyone that he has their back, too.

PANTHERS UPDATE

They’re a somewhat overlooked version of the Bruins under first-year coach Kevin Dineen: The scoring line of Stephen Weiss (11-18–29), Tomas Fleischmann (12-16–28) and Kris Versteeg (12-16–28) has recently gone through a silent spell, but the Panthers are on a 6-2-1 roll anyway.

Florida, which is tied for the NHL lead with 9 road wins, relies on defensemen like Brian Campbell (2-21–23), Dmitry Kulikov (3-16–19) and Jason Garrison (8 goals) to provide offense. Jose Theodore (10-5-3, 2.28, .924) has made general manager Dale Tallon – who chose not to re-sign Tomas Vokoun – look like a wise man.

Boston Bruins, and Tyler Seguin, hope to recover from tough night in Winnipeg - Fall River, MA - The Herald News​

 

[SLY]

I know I've said it before, but I just really wish my Grandpa could have seen this team. He was prolly one of the very few true Panthers fans. Season ticket holder from the beginning... Even had them brought up by the Priest at his wake. He would have been thrilled to see them contending in the East like this.

But, they ain't winning tonight.

 

[dboy97]

Look at Jeff with a link from my hometown newspaper.

 

[SLY]

 

[dboy97]

We used to call it the Sterile News

 

[SLY]

Is it flaccid reporting?

 

[SLY]

Im trying to decide which player I want on my away jersey. I'm thinking about going with Bergy for nabbing the GWG in game 7 SCF away.

 

[dboy97]

It's pretty limp for sure. Imagine you are a young boy who scores two goals in a youth hockey game and you see a small write up about it the paper a couple days later. As you read the article they put your name in the paper oh the thril. But wait they call you Chris when your name is Dann. WTF.

 

[dboy97]

Can't go wrong with Bergy although I am not into having another mans name on my back.

 

[SLY]

It's pretty limp for sure. Imagine you are a young boy who scores two goals in a youth hockey game and you see a small write up about it the paper a couple days later. As you read the article they put your name in the paper oh the thril. But wait they call you Chris when your name is Dann. WTF.

lmao... Yea that sucks.

 

[dboy97]

lmao... Yea that sucks.

True story too.

 

[dboy97]

But at least you can see how similar Dann is to Chis right?

 

[SLY]

Can't go wrong with Bergy although I am not into having another mans name on my back.

lol, , ya always got something to say Dann.

I got a personalized third jersey and a Lucic home jersey. I think I may actually get the Finals away jersey, found it for a decent price on NHL Fan Pro Shop.

edit: now I know there is a second "n".

 

[SLY]

But at least you can see how similar Dann is to Chis right?

Yep. Almost identical. :wacko:

 

[dboy97]

lol, , ya always got something to say Dann.

I got a personalized third jersey and a Lucic home jersey. I think I may actually get the Finals away jersey, found it for a decent price on NHL Fan Pro Shop.

edit: now I know there is a second "n".

By now would you expect anything less?

 

[SLY]

By now would you expect anything less?

Nope, but you should show up more. Slacker.

 

[NullDefault]

Really excited for this matchup. Who would have predicted that this game would be such a contentious one at the beginning of the season? Whether Seguin has a big night or not is of no consequence as long as the Bruins have a big night!

Go B's!

 

[SLY]

Holy shit. Look who decided to show up! Good to see ya bro. Agreed. But I def think Seguin is going to go the extra mile and then some tonight. He did not look happy last game up in the press box.

 

[dash]

This is not the first time the "separate knob" has caused a guy to sleep in...