Bruins Wrap: Boston Drops Season Opener Against Panthers

Boston Bruins hockey is officially back, but unfortunately for the team, the season opener was a night to forget.

Boston was defeated 6-4 in the season opener at Amerant Bank Arena at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. It was the first time the Bruins lost their season opener since falling to the Washington Capitals in the 2018-2019 campaign.

With the loss, the Bruins fell to 0-1 to start the season, while the Panthers improved to 1-0.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
After raising their championship banner the Panthers punched the Bruins in the mouth by jumping out to a 2-0 lead before Boston registered two shots on goal. The end result appeared much closer than the game itself.

It was rocky from the start for Boston, as Florida dominated play from the opening faceoff and exploited starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo’s lack of rebound control. Korpisalo stopped the first seven shots he faced before last season’s playoff public enemy No. 1 Sam Bennett found the back of the net after Korpisalo made the initial stop against Evan Rodrigues. Korpisalo stopped 29 shots in the loss.

Pavel Zacha scored the first Bruins’ goal of the season to cut the lead to 2-1. With Nikita Zadorov in the penalty box for cross-checking villain Matthew Tkachuk, Zacha tallied his first shorthanded bid while sporting the Spoked-B. Charlie McAvoy scored the second Bruins goal in the middle frame to get Boston within three, but never really threatened Florida’s lead the rest of the game.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Zacha tallied his sixth-career shorthanded goal — his first in a Bruins uniform – to get the scoring started in the 2024-25 campaign. Last season, Zacha matched a career-high in goals with 21 and set a new high in points (59).

— McAvoy scored his first goal of the season in the second period. Last season, McAvoy tallied 12 goals and 35 assists to lead the Bruins defensive corps with 47 points.

— Trent Frederic scored his first of the season with just over three minutes left in regulation.

UP NEXT
The Bruins return to action Thursday night with an Original Six matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. You can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.