Bruins at Panthers
Tim Thomas will see some familiar faces on Thursday, when the Florida Panthers host his former team - the Boston Bruins. A two-time Vezina Trophy winner and 2011 Conn Smythe Trophy recipient with Boston, Thomas underwent a messy divorce from the club and opted to sit out the 2012-13 season. After signing with Florida, the 39-year-old will be playing in his first game since exiting with a groin injury against Philadelphia on Oct. 8.
Without Thomas in net, the Panthers permitted 17 goals en route to losing three of their last four games - a stretch capped with a 4-3 setback to Nashville on Tuesday. Boston dropped its second contest in three games as Tuukka Rask yielded more than one goal for the first time this season in a 3-2 loss to Detroit on Monday afternoon. "Never thought that we would play against each other," Rask told the Boston Globe on Wednesday, referring to the matchup with his former creasemate. "But I'm glad that he made his comeback. That's what people want."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), FSN (Florida)
ABOUT THE BRUINS (3-2-0): Loui Eriksson and Milan Lucic have scored in back-to-back games, with the latter netting his team-leading third goal - and 100th career tally - on Monday. While the pair has been scoring, a punchless power play is just 2-for-19 this season. Pesky Brad Marchand, who has just one goal this campaign, collected a tally and set up three others in Boston's three-game sweep of Florida in 2012-13.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (2-5-0): Reigning Calder Trophy winner Jonathan Huberdeau has notched goals in three of his last four games, including one for the highlight reel versus the Predators. After playing five of its first seven on the road, Florida begins a season-high six-game homestand against the Bruins. "This is a real key stretch for us, but we're not even 10 games into the season," coach Kevin Dineen said.
OVERTIME
1. Boston outscored Florida by an 11-2 margin last season.
2. Dineen heaped praise on second overall pick Aleksander Barkov, saying the center is "defensively responsible, offensively creative."
3. The Bruins' three-game road trip pits them against Atlantic Division rivals. After facing the Panthers, Boston visits Tampa Bay (on Saturday) and Buffalo (Wednesday).