The Bruins (13-4-1) won their fourth straight game after taking down the Panthers (9-7-2) 4-1 at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon. Elias Lindholm, Mikey Eyssimont, Morgan Geekie, and JJ Peterka scored for the Bruins, and Jeremy Swayman made a season-high 40 saves in his ninth win of the year. 

“Yeah, it was very important. We talked about it before the game,” Marco Sturm said postgame. “It’s a big week for us, and starting out especially in our division against a really good opponent, and yeah, we’re very happy with the result tonight and also the way we played.” 

Nikita Zadorov and Brady Tkachuk started the party with a fight just two seconds into the game. Little did they, or anyone in the building, know that those 10 penalty minutes were just the beginning. The referees dished out 126 penalty minutes on Sunday, including seven 10-minute misconducts. 

Zadorov had 17, but after the game was not keen to talk about the referees. 

“Yeah, I mean, you can go back and watch the tape and decide if I deserve to have 17 penalty minutes today,” Zadorov said. “I don’t think I can comment on the officials.” 

Zadorov and Brady Tkachuk received matching 10-minute misconducts at the end of the second period.

“There were a lot of calls. It was a long game. I don’t even know, but it felt long,” Sturm said. “I think they started to really, after the first period, kind of, ‘Okay, this is enough.’ Maybe it should’ve started a little bit earlier. At least, you know what, at least it was both sides. So I’m glad it happened that way, but it definitely felt long today; that’s for sure.” 

The 126 penalty minutes marked the most in a single game this season. 

Mark Kastelic and Garnet Hathaway joined the fray with a fight of their own, and the Bruins had the upper hand in both bouts. Both Zadorov and Kastelic, as well as Tanner Jeannot, made their physical presence felt. The three were routinely in the middle of post-whistle scrums, and Kastelic had 17 penalty minutes of his own. 

“Yeah, it was great. Z started us off right away, the right way. Kasty to follow, and even Jeannot didn’t get a fight, but those three guys, they just kept everything calm. They just let us play the game. And it’s a great feeling,” Sturm said. “We probably don’t talk enough about them because it’s still in the game. So they did an outstanding job today against a very gritty and tough opponent. That’s their style too, but we kept them away and kept them, for the most part, quiet.”

The Panthers lead the league in both penalties taken (105) and penalties drawn (107). They have finished in the top three in both categories in every season since 2022-23. 

“I mean, I don’t know if I’ve played those guys in years where it hasn’t been like that,” Charlie McAvoy said postgame. “It’s divisional, you know, they have a championship pedigree over there, and that’s their style. That’s how they’ve played. We’ve played them twice in the playoffs when they went on their runs. Like, that’s their game. So if you’re not ready for it, odds are they’ll probably run you out of the rink. So that’s just how you have to play against a team like that, and there’s nothing new. They’ve been doing it for years, so it’s no surprise. You know what you signed up for when you show up to the rink tonight.”

The Bruins called up Mikey Eyssimont on Saturday morning, but he did not practice as he traveled back from Providence’s win in Hamilton, ON. Still, Marco Sturm threw Eyssimont into the lineup, giving him a go on the second line with Fraser Minten and Morgan Geekie. Just 6:11 into his season debut, Eyssimont found the back of the net. 

“Yeah, he’s another guy who came in, and we talked about him in training camp. I saw him quickly this morning, and he didn’t change at all. The good thing is he played in this league for a while, and he knows how it works,” Sturm said of the 30-year-old. “He knows also how to play against the Panthers, and that’s why I put him in the lineup tonight because they’re a very, very aggressive group. And I needed a veteran also, not just to score goals but also to manage the game the right way, and he was good. I know unfortunately there were a lot of penalties today, so he didn’t get ice time that much, but he scored a huge goal for us. I’m glad [that] after he got sent down to the minors, he reacted the right way and he’s just waited for his opportunity.” 

Eyssimont logged just 8:14 of ice time in his season debut, the second-lowest total from Sunday’s matinee (Mark Kastelic, 7:15). He is not a regular on either special teams unit, and played just 26 seconds of the Bruins’ 15:41 of power-play time. 

The 30-year-old veteran made the roster out of training camp, but the Bruins waived him when Matt Poitras was healthy enough to return to the lineup. He cleared waivers, made the most of his opportunity in Providence, and immediately made his presence felt in his first game back in Boston. Eyssimont, for the second straight preseason, recorded a multi-goal game, but the numbers game bounced him out of the Bruins’ lineup come October. 

“Yeah, I mean, it’s a gut punch,” Eyssimont said about going down to the minors. “But I think you try to keep up your enthusiasm and keep developing as a player, and (Providence) is a great place to do it.” 

The Bruins were backed by Jeremy Swayman’s ninth win of the season. He finished with 3.52 goals saved above expected, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Panthers poured 14 shots onto Swayman during the final frame, but he kept them from cutting into the Bruins’ three-goal lead. 

“Sometimes I feel like we don’t even talk enough about our goalies. Especially Sway, even Mikey. These guys have been so good, so good,” Sturm said. “They are getting us points and [giving us] opportunities to win every night. Even when it was 4-1, there were a couple sloppy plays, and he stood strong. Again, he’s been outstanding, and that’s why we [have] – I think it’s the best or second-best tandem in the league – so yeah, they’ve been awesome.”

The Panthers had 8:39 of power play time on Sunday, and the Bruins’ penalty kill went 4-for-5. Swayman was tested, a lot, while the Panthers were on the man advantage. Their only goal came from Carter Verhaeghe on the power play, and Swayman kicked back 13 saves while shorthanded.

“That’s a strength of theirs, so you know you’re going to get pucks delivered on net, and I thought we were prepared for that, and guys were clearing out rebounds right away,” Swayman said postgame. “So it’s good to get kills for momentum for our team and push forward because that’ll suck the life out of anything.” 

The Bruins picked up their first divisional win of the season on Sunday after falling to Ottawa in early October. They will have a few days off before hosting the Montreal Canadiens in another divisional matchup, then they carry on the homestand against the Minnesota Wild. 

“I mean, we had only one [in the] first 18 games of the season. We knew that was our message in the room, like get [as many] points as we can because our division is the best in hockey,” Zadorov said. “There’s so many great teams in our division, and those points are really important. We dropped the ball against Ottawa early, so I think it was a time for us to respond because they’re four-point games for sure.”