BOSTON (AP) — Tuukka Rask made 23 saves and the Boston Bruins got goals from four different players to hand the Florida Panthers their seventh straight loss, 4-1 on Thursday night.
Rask improved to 9-1 against Florida in helping Boston win for the third time in its last seven home games.
The Bruins have won five straight and seven of their last eight against the Panthers.
Florida has lost 10 of its past 11 games and is on its longest skid (0-3-4) since a 10-game slide in April 2011.
David Krejci gave Boston a 1-0 lead when his shot from the blue line beat Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen at 7:17 of the second period.
Brad Marchand had the winner on a wrist shot 4:09 into the third period, snapping a 12-game drought without a goal for Boston.
Panthers’ goalie Tim Thomas is still out with a lower body injury, but the former Bruins goalie was shown on the Jumbotron midway through the third period and received a rousing ovation.
Thomas played for the Bruins from 2002-12 and led Boston to the Stanley Cup title and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason’s most valuable player in 2011.
Thomas lost to Boston 3-2 in Florida last month, but has yet to oppose the Bruins at the TD Garden at any point in his career.
Torey Krug gave Boston a 3-0 lead when he wristed home Chris Kelly’s pass at 8:57 of the third for his sixth goal of the season.
Jesse Winchester cut Boston’s lead to 3-1 with 5:35 remaining when he batted Nick Bjugstad’s shot past Rask.
Reilly Smith capped the scoring for the Bruins at 18:13 of the third with an unassisted goal.
Clemmensen made 20 saves for Florida in his second start this season.
NOTES: Florida’s only road victory this season came against Dallas on opening night. … Boston has outscored Florida 19-2 over the last four home games and Marchand has notched nine points. … Florida began the night tied with Buffalo for allowing most goals in the Eastern Conference with 53. . Winchester flattened Kelly with an elbow to the face five minutes into the game causing him to briefly leave the game.
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