Panthers 2, Bruins 1 (SO)
Brandon Pirri scored the lone goal of the shootout in the second round as host Florida halted its nine-game losing streak at the hands of Boston and moved closer to a playoff slot.
Pirri sent a forehand shot between the pads of Tuukka Rask before Roberto Luongo capped a 26-save performance by denying rookie Ryan Spooner's backhand attempt to draw the Panthers within four points of the Bruins for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. Jimmy Hayes scored in regulation as Florida beat Boston for the first time since March 15, 2012.
Patrice Bergeron netted a power-play goal for the slumping Bruins, who dropped their fourth in a row (0-2-2) and had their lead over Ottawa for the wild card sliced to one point. Rask finished with 24 saves as his 10-game winning streak against the Panthers was halted.
Soon after a faceoff, Dave Bolland gained control of the puck near the end boards and sent a behind-the-back pass to Hayes, who stuffed it home from the doorstep at 14:41 of the opening period. Boston had to kill off 1:13 of a penalty to begin the second period before converting on a power play of its own.
Defenseman Dougie Hamilton sent a pass from the left point to Spooner in the right faceoff circle, and the rookie found Bergeron alone in the slot for a shot that beat Luongo at the 2:52 mark. Rask robbed Bolland on the doorstep late in the third and stoned Hayes on a 2-on-1 rush in overtime to preserve the tie.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Bergeron reached 20 goals for the sixth time in 11 seasons. ... Panthers LW Shawn Thornton became the third player to appear in 600 NHL and American Hockey League games, while RW Jaromir Jagr played in his 1,540th career contest, tying Johnny Bucyk for 12th place on the all-time list. ... Hamilton went to the dressing room in the second, returned for a brief shift and headed back off the ice for the remainder of the contest.