Monday night in Sunrise proved that not even a Game 7 winning lineup can’t stop Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery from his tinkering ways.

Back in action with a quick turnaround following Saturday’s season-extending win over the Maple Leafs, Montgomery and the Bruins took to the ice with a couple of new faces back in the equation for Boston, with Patrick Brown in the middle of the Black and Gold’s fourth line, while Derek Forbort was skating in his usual spot on the left side of the club’s third pairing.

That held by puck drop, too, with Brown skating in his first NHL game since Jan. 27, while Forbort returned to the lineup for his first taste of NHL action since Mar. 2 after undergoing two separate surgical procedures in March.

And despite what was a miserable year for Forbort from a luck perspective both on and off the ice, the arduous road back was one that Forbort happily traveled, and made look easy with what was a six-hit and two-block night for the Bruins.

“Forbort looked really confident,” Montgomery said following his team’s 5-1 win. “He was moving really well, the best we’ve seen him move probably before his leg injury last January. So that was a pleasant surprise and really happy for the young man because he’s worked really hard and he’s wanted to get back to wear the Spoked B and help us in this playoff run.”

Forbort got involved early and often in this game, and the first period featured what was probably his best play of the night, as he chased down Florida’s Steven Lorentz and snuffed out what could’ve been a high-quality scoring chance for the Panthers early in the first period and with the B’s on their heels.

• One thing about Forbort that flies under the radar is just how important he is to his B’s teammates.

  At every stop and turn, the Bruins talked openly about how hard he was working to get back, how important he is to their locker room, and what his presence means to them.

  “I kept telling him all night that he’s an absolute warrior,” Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo said after the Game 1 win. “The way that he came in, and handled himself with throughout that game mentally and physically was very impressive.

  “You know, coming back into a regular-season game when you’ve missed that much time is hard. Coming back into the playoffs is a whole different animal. I’m so proud of the way that he handled himself tonight. I thought he played fantastic and, did his job very well. He’s a great addition to have back for certain aspects of the game, and I have a lot of respect for him and his game.”

  It’s often easy to get lost in the ‘vibes’ discussion when it comes to players and their presence. But for Forbort, now in his third season with the Bruins, it’s always felt real. There’s a reason why the Bruins and their staff have put him into action and worked with him through his struggles. Whether it’s visible to the outside or not, this is a player whom the Bruins view in a insanely bright light when it comes to their team construct.

  “He’s been working really hard behind the scenes and I’m not even sure what has made it public as far as what he’s had to deal with in the last month and a half, two months, but it was a lot,” Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said of Forbort. “It is a huge testament to him, his character, and his perseverance that he’s back here. He’s working really hard. He’s been on the ice for a while now, but [he’s] kind of like starting from scratch. “We knew that if we could keep doing our job, there would be a good chance that he’d slot in and he’s a tremendous defenseman for us, and you know, here he is. He played great [in Game 1], and we’re gonna rely on him. He’s an irreplaceable guy in the locker for the team with the way he keeps things loose and has a presence about him.”

  Beyond the obvious of the Bruins’ decision to inject their defense with some extra presence and vibes, the 2023-24 Florida matchup had been one that Forbort survived and handled relatively well, especially in what was a downer of a regular season for him almost across the board entirely.

  In what was a pretty miserable year all things considered, Forbort was actually pretty solid against Florida. Bruins outshot Panthers 16-12 and outscored them 3-0 in 32:50 of five-on-five play with Derek Forbort on the ice this season. Nevertheless, first NHL action since Mar. 2. https://t.co/jges1o5a3P

  — Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) May 6, 2024

  And with Andrew Peeke expected to be available for the Bruins at some point in this second-round series, the Bruins may be setting themselves up for a ‘problem’ they’ve quite simply never had in Don Sweeney’s entire tenure as Boston’s general manager, and that’s having too many healthy defensemen.

  But in the now, the full health of No. 28 is exactly what the club wanted and got in a strong Game 1 outing.

• Pastrnak keeps push coming

  

  May 6, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) shoots against Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) in Game 1 of the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports)

  Was the Game 7 overtime goal that’ll break the dam for David Pastrnak? Pastrnak and his teammates believed that to potentially be the case, and if Game 1 was any indication of what’s to come, Pastrnak is indeed back to feeling himself with the puck on his stick. Even with the puck off his stick, for that matter. 

  Coming out of the gate absolutely flying, Pastrnak’s first shift of the night featured two looks on the Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky, a strong defensive effort, and even a solid thump on Florida winger Sam Reinhart. 

  David Pastrnak with a great defensive play and then plants Sam Reinhart pic.twitter.com/kgvD6thQRt

  — Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) May 7, 2024

  Pastrnak even jumped into the play and helped create what was Boston’s first goal of the night (scored by Morgan Geekie), and in the immediate aftermath of the Panthers taking the lead. This was a night where you could tell that No. 88 had his A-game, and the Bruins were a noticeably better team for it. 

  Deployed for 19:03 of time on ice, Pastrnak finished Monday’s win with an assist and four shots on goal, but the Bruins were on the attack each and every time he was out there, with a 12-7 on-ice edge in shots during Pastrnak’s five-on-five play, and with Boston outscoring Florida 2-0 with Pastrnak out there.

  An extremely promising sign. 

  And here’s where things get even more interesting in my opinion: Even if Pastrnak isn’t finding the back of the net, if he can continue to set up his linemates, that’ll mean good things for the Bruins, especially in this series, and especially for Pavel Zacha. Currently playing left wing opposed to center, Zacha entered this series as one of just three NHL players to record at least five points against the Panthers during the regular season (the Devils’ Jesper Bratt and Montreal’s Nick Suzuki were the others), and Zacha’s Game 1 line featured a two-assist performance. 

• A perfectly-timed timeout from Montgomery

  

  SUNRISE, FL – MAY 6: Head coach Jim Montgomery directs the players during a time out against the Panthers in the third period in Game One of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Amerant Bank Arena. (Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

  Things got a little too dicey for the Bruins in the third period of this win. 

  Clinging to a two-goal lead, the Bruins were getting absolutely blitzed by a desperate Panther attack. In addition to a Hampus Lindholm holding the stick call early in the third period (a good penalty in the sense that it denied the Panthers of what would’ve been a fantastic scoring opportunity right in Jeremy Swayman’s kitchen), the Bruins found themselves outshot 9-1 and icing the puck a bit too much for Montgomery’s liking. 

  So, Montgomery decided to call his timeout to settle ’em down.

  The response? A Justin Brazeau putaway strike just 1:25 later. 

  “I just wanted us to relax, be calm, have poise, and execute,” Montgomery said of the decision to call the timeout. “I could tell players were hurried, a little frantic with the puck. We had opportunities to make plays, I saw a couple of icings, so, I just thought we needed the time there to just reset.” 

  Things are the things that make a difference in a playoff series. 

• Brazeau is on the board

  

  May 6, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Bruins right wing Justin Brazeau (55) scores against Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) in game one of the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports)

  And don’t look now, but the Bruins might have something cooking with this third line with Justin Brazeau to the right of James van Riemsdyk and Trent Frederic. 

  A late-season standout injured on Apr. 2 and thrown back into action in Boston’s Game 5 loss to the Maple Leafs in the first round, the 6-foot-5 Brazeau has looked more comfortable with each passing game, and is now riding a point streak, with his first career playoff goal in Game 1 following what was a game-tying assist in Game 7. 

  OH MY BRAZEAU
  
  4-1 BRUINS 😳 pic.twitter.com/cqBH565CmU

  — B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 7, 2024

  “The plays we’re seeing in Game 7 and [Game 1], we were seeing that in the regular season,” Montgomery said of Brazeau. “And that’s why I put him in Game 5, because he needed to get in a rhythm. And we kept playing him because we believe he’s an excellent hockey player that can really help you offensively and defensively. So what you’re noticing there is something that we think is part of him.” 

  Togther for just under 22 minutes of five-on-five time over four games now, the van Riesmdyk-Frederic-Brazeau line, which checks in at a combined 648 pounds as a line, has out-chanced teams 15-4, outshot them 11-7, and most importantly outscored them 2-0.

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