Panthers at Bruins
The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers each vie for their third win in a row and fourth in five games when the Atlantic Division rivals tangle at TD Garden on Tuesday. The Bruins have outscored the Panthers by a 33-10 margin en route to winning eight straight meetings, as well as 14 of the last 16 encounters. Matt Fraser, who scored twice in Boston's 4-2 victory over Ottawa on Saturday, could be in the lineup again as David Krejci missed Monday's practice with an undisclosed injury.
While the Bruins packed a punch offensively versus the Senators, the Panthers have put the clamps down on defense during their recent stretch. Roberto Luongo has yielded just two goals on his last 68 shots faced as Florida skated to 2-1 triumphs over both Arizona on Thursday and Philadelphia two days later. Tuukka Rask has tormented the Panthers, recording three shutouts during his nine-game winning streak while registering a rail-thin 0.99 goals-against average in that stretch.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TVA, FSN Florida, NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (4-2-3): Shawn Thornton will find himself in an unfamiliar place on Tuesday as the enforcer will occupy the visitor's locker room for the first time after spending seven seasons with the Bruins. When asked if he was willing to drop the gloves against his former team, Thornton was quick to joke that "I'd beat up my own sister if it got us two points." Humor aside, the 37-year-old has yet to record a point in seven games but isn't shy about throwing his weight around with 15 hits this season.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (7-6-0): Coach Claude Julien refuses to let injuries be an excuse to prevent his team from playing up to its ability level. "I know they're important players, and I'm certainly not going to downplay that, but when you don't have them, you've got to rely on others," Julien said of his team that is missing captain Zdeno Chara (knee) and fellow defenseman Torey Krug (broken finger) among others. "You've got to believe and feel that your team is still good, and that's how I look at it." Chris Kelly was elevated to the team's makeshift top line on Saturday, joining Milan Lucic and rookie Seth Griffith.
OVERTIME
1. Florida LW Jussi Jokinen notched an assist on Saturday to extend his point streak to four games.
2. Bruins D Kevan Miller (dislocated shoulder) skated on his own after the team's practice on Monday.
3. After starting the season 1-for-18 on the power play, the Panthers have scored with the man advantage in four of their last five contests.