Bruins come into Sunrise with chance to bury hated Panthers

It's not hyperbolic to say that the Bruins are playing their most important game of the season Wednesday night in Sunrise.

Yes, even just days removed from playing the Atlantic-leading Lightning in front of nearly 70,000 people at Raymond James Stadium, this is true. That's because the Bruins are coming into this head-to-head with the Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena with a chance to by all means bury 'em.

With losses in four straight, and just eight wins in 19 games since returning from the NHL's Christmas break, the Panthers are looking like a team beginning to fade. Speaking after their latest loss, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice played the adversity card, talking about what the last four years have told him about his club and their undeniable resolve.

But at a certain point, the math trumps any and all resolve. And the Panthers might be approaching that point. Coming into Wednesday's game, the Panthers sit nine points behind the Bruins for the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. A Boston win would turn that uphill climb into an up-mountain climb, with the Panthers behind the Black and Gold by 11 points, and with just one game in hand.

If there's a night for Florida's champion resolve to show up, it's this night, leaving the Bruins in for one hell of a rock fight.

“I see them as champions," Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said following his team's morning skate. "So, for us, every time we play against the best team, the champions, we have to bring our best. And it doesn’t matter how good or bad they are, we’re gonna treat it like a good game for us. These are very big points up for grabs before the break.” 

Now, in defense of the rest of the Eastern Conference, there's another five teams — the Blue Jackets, Maple Leafs, Capitals, Senators, and Flyers — between Boston and Florida in the standings. A win tonight doesn't guarantee anything for the Bruins. But it does really push down a team that, out of that group, you almost have to fear the most.

“We know they’re a great team over there," Bruins winger Morgan Geekie said of the Panthers. "Lot of skill [and] they play heavy. But [we’re going to] try to get back to our game right away. You gotta respect what they do, but we need to get to our game right away, and just think to our structure and our strengths.” 

While Brad Marchand remains out of action for the Panthers, Florida does expect to get two big pieces of their group back in action tonight, with both Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell expected to rejoin the lineup.

The Bruins, meanwhile, will stick with the same 18-skater lineup they had in Sunday's 6-5 shootout loss to the Lightning. That means the club will continue to lean on 23-year-old Marat Khusnutdinov, along with 21-year-olds Fraser Minten and Matt Poitras, as its top-three centers.

The only change for the B's will come in goal, with Joonas Korpisalo expected to get the start for Boston. Fresh off being named as an injury replacement for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on Finland's roster for the 2026 Olympics in Milan, Korpisalo's nod comes with the 31-year-old playing what is absolutely the best hockey of his Bruins career.

“Yeah, and if you remember [before this run], he was struggling a little bit right before that. Even in Buffalo, he was just OK," Sturm said of his backup netminder. "I think he just needed that one game. I can’t remember where it was, but after the Buffalo game [on Dec. 27], he had that one really good game, and then he took off. So I’m really happy because if you look at our team, we need two really good goaltenders. Really, we do. And since then, he’s been really good.” 

Korpisalo enters Wednesday's game with a 4-1-1 record and .927 save percentage since Dec. 27. That .927 save percentage ranks third among goaltenders with at least six starts over that span.

The Bruins, as a team, have been white-hot since New Year's Eve, with a 12-2-2 record (.813 point percentage), and a plus-23 goal differential while winning in a variety of ways and despite numerous injuries.

“This is how we were built: to win scrappy games and be tough to play against, and we’ve lived up to that expectation," said Geekie.

Now comes delivering on that with potentially devastating results for the team that's haunted them for almost three full years.

While the Bruins will keep their lineup the same, the Bruins did make a roster move between Tampa and Sunrise, with center Elias Lindholm (upper body) placed on the injured reserve and defenseman Jordan Harris recalled from his long-term injury conditioning loan in Providence.

The Bruins will continue to wear their bright yellow Stadium Series jerseys for this contest, while the Panthers are expected to counter with their red 2026 Winter Classic sweaters.