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Win No. 388 behind the Boston Bruins bench for
Claude Julien, enough to pull him ahead of Art Ross for No. 1 on the franchise’s all-time wins list, was fitting if nothing else. They chased
Roberto Luongo from net, though his days are now spent in Florida opposed to Vancouver, blew two three-goal leads, but ultimately came through with clutch, overtime scoring in a 5-4 final.
In just one (thrilling) game in Sunrise, Fla., one that propelled the Bruins over the opposing Florida Panthers into second place in the Atlantic Division, the Bruins went through nearly every single key event that Julien has dealt with throughout his incredible nine-year run in the Hub.
Boston opened up the first period with goals from
Patrice Bergeron (34 seconds),
David Pastrnak (7:00), and
Brett Connolly (12:22). Florida finally countered behind
Aleksander Barkov’s 20th of the year, scored at 16:48 of the first, but were put behind by three just 37 seconds later behind Bergeron’s second of the game for the Bruins.
The ice tilted Florida’s way behind a goaltending switch from Luongo to
Al Montoya, and two second-period goals scored in 2:53, the first from Jiri Hudler and the second from Jussi Jokinen.
A one-goal game and on a lengthy power play to begin the third period after a double-minor on Boston’s
David Krejci for high-sticking
Erik Gudbranson, the Bruins survived the Panthers’ early final frame onslaught behind big stops from
Tuukka Rask.
But on the night that saw the ‘Cats pummel Rask for over 40 shots in regulation, Florida broke through as Hudler scored the game-tying goal, his second of the night, with just 4:43 left in the third period.
The Bruins escaped the third period without further damage, and made their way to second overtime in as many games, and though the advantage seemed to tilt heavily towards Florida’s way, it was a decision to roll with three forwards -- Bergeron, Pastrnak, and Brad Marchand -- that seemed to recharge the Boston offense and put Montoya and the Panthers on their heels.
And it would be the Bruins that broke through as
Lee Stempniak came through with his first goal in a B’s uniform on a beautiful shot that beat Montoya up high for the 5-4 victory.
Rask finished the night with 47 saves on 51 shots against.
Random thoughts and notes
- The obvious story in this one is Julien. It’s crazy to think that he’s now the all-time winningest coach in Bruins history. Seriously. He’s beat out the 26 coaches that came before him for the most wins in franchise history. And while this was expected so long as Julien wasn’t fired by the Bruins early on into the season -- something that seemed even somewhat plausible given the way the team started -- Julien, who has never, ever wanted the glory, finally has it whether he likes it or not. Deservedly so.
When it comes to Julien, what you see is basically what you get. By now, you know his strengths and you know his flaws. But at the same time, you’ve seen him change with the times. He’s helped Ryan Spooner develop into a legitimate NHL center. He’s in the midst of doing the same with David Pastrnak on the wing. It’s not always the friendliest approach to that player, but the developmental goals are often met, and everyone has been better off for it. Of course, there things that Julien is still a bit stubborn about (veteran usage is one of those areas), but on the whole, can you name a better coach that the Black and Gold could have had this summer? Or for the last five years for that matter?
- The other positive in this one is of course the first Bruins goal from Lee Stempniak. So, to recap, in just four games with Boston, the 33-year-old winger has now recorded one goal and five assists. That assist figure would be six, too, had
Torey Krug’s goal against Washington been upheld.
This is exactly the production, if not more, that you expected when the B’s sent two draft picks to NJ.
- With his assist on Barkov’s goal, Jagr moved ahead of
Gordie Howe into sole possession of third place on the league’s all-time scoring list. Up next on the list for Jagr is Mark Messier, whom he trails by less than 40 points, a mark he should hit if he plays next season. He’s also about a thousand points off from tying Wayne Gretzky for first all-time, a figure a 73-year-old Jagr will reach when he’s playing for the Las Vegas Aces against the Seattle Metropolitans in the year 2045.
- But hey, about that goal? It should not have counted. It was pretty clear that Jagr’s stick was lodged between Rask’s pads and thus kept No. 40 from squaring up on Barkov’s shot. The Bruins challenged it, they lost, and the entire coach’s challenge process remains one gigantic crapshoot. At this point, what’s the point of even challenging things? I mean, confidence has to be at a total zero for every coach.
Up next
The Bruins will head to Tampa Bay for a Tuesday night affair with the Lightning. It will be the fourth meeting between the B’s and Bolts this year, with the road team winning all three affairs (two wins for Tampa Bay, and one for the Bruins). A win by the Bruins and they are in first place in the Atlantic Division, something that’s consistently eluded the Black and Gold all year long.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • 
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