Bruins Extend Home Streak with Swayman's 40 Saves and Four Goals
Boston defeated Florida 4-1 on Sunday, improving to a perfect 7-0 record at TD Garden while managing the absence of star forward James Hagens.
By Thabo Hoffmann ·
The Boston Bruins defeated the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Sunday at TD Garden, securing their fourth consecutive victory and extending their undefeated home run to seven games. Jeremy Swayman anchored the defense with 40 saves, including 17 stops in the first period alone, to keep Florida at bay despite a high volume of shots.
Boston's offense opened fast. Elias Lindholm, Mikey Eyssimont, and Morgan Geekie each scored a goal in the opening frame, establishing a commanding lead before the second period began. JJ Peterka added the final goal for the home team, which now holds a plus-21 goal differential in its home arena.
The win came a day after the Bruins placed young forward James Hagens on injured reserve. Despite the loss of a key young talent, the team managed the transition smoothly. David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha provided support with two assists each, helping to orchestrate the scoring chances that led to the victory.
Florida's offense struggled to find rhythm against Swayman. Carter Verhaeghe was the only Panther to score, finding the net on a power-play opportunity. Goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 32 shots for the visitors, but the team could not overcome the early deficit. Florida has now lost three of its last four games.
In other action, the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-1. Tomas Hertl scored two goals in the third period, while Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner also found the back of the net. Adin Hill recorded 27 saves for Vegas, which finished its road trip with a 3-0-1 record. Beck Malenstyn scored for Buffalo, but Colten Ellis could not match Hill's performance as the Sabres fell to a two-game skid in their last three contests.
The Winnipeg Jets defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in a shootout of sorts, with Mark Scheifele scoring the winner on a 5-on-3 power play with 1.6 seconds remaining. The Jets blew a three-goal lead in the third period before regrouping for the final push. Stuart Skinner made 18 saves for Winnipeg, which has won three straight games after a nine-game losing streak.
New Jersey's Connor Hellebuyck earned his first shutout with the Devils in a 4-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The goaltender, acquired from Winnipeg last month, stopped 23 shots to become the first goalie in franchise history to win his first five games with the club. Timo Meier scored twice for New Jersey, while Anthony Stolarz stopped 25 shots for Toronto, which has lost three straight games.
The Anaheim Ducks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2, with Cutter Gauthier recording his third hat trick in eight days. Gauthier's performance extended his goals streak to six games and his points streak to eight, a career-best tie. The Ducks became the first team since the 1988-89 Los Angeles Kings to score at least five goals in eight consecutive games. Mikael Granlund contributed a goal and three assists for Anaheim.
Calgary defeated Philadelphia 4-3 in overtime, with Matt Coronato scoring the winner at 4:08 of extra time. The Flames' Devin Cooley made 32 saves in his first game back from a lower-body injury. Joel Farabee tied the game with a short-handed goal midway through the third period, setting the stage for the overtime decider.
