Bruins Edge Panthers

    The Florida Panthers began a stretch in which six of their next seven games were the road as they fell to the Boston Bruins 4-1 on Thursday night at TD Garden. Both teams will be in the same division next season as realignment was approved by the NHL Board Of Governors earlier today.
    Boston(18-4-3) scored early in the first period just 3:55 in. Center David Krajci took a slapshot from the high right circle that went wide and bounced off the back wall. Defenseman Zdeno Chara blasted a slapshot from the top left circle by goalie Scott Clemmensen as the B's led 1-0. The Cats have given up the first goal in eight of their last nine games.
    The Bruins pulled off a three-man weave play and got up 2-0 with 5:04 left in the period. Center Patrice Bergeron was at the top of the zone and put a right-outlet pass to right wing Tyler Seguin. He sent the puck to left wing Brad Marchand in the left circle and he released a cross-ice pass to Bergeron for a tip-in score.
    Florida(7-15-6) closed the gap to 2-1 when they were shorthanded at 3:10 of the second period. Center Shawn Matthias scored an unassisted goal and he beat a defender to a loose puck in the left circle and made a backhand shot from the crease by goalie Tuukku Rask. It was his fourth goal in six games and the eighth goal for Matthias this season.
    The B's were able to expand their lead to 3-1 with 7:17 remaining in the third period. Left wing Shawn Thronton centered the puck from the right circle, the puck went off two Panther sticks and Thornton put in a snapshot from the low left circle.
    The Panthers pulled their goalie for an extra skater with 1:35 to go. The Bruins got an empty-net goal with 57.3 seconds left as Marchand threw the puck ahead from the neutral zone and Bergeron snapped in a shot from the slot area.
    Both teams were 0-for-2 on the power play, the B's outshot the Cats 32-30 and won the faceoff battle 35-17. Rask stopped 29 of 30 shots and elevated to 14-2-3 while Clemensen dropped 2-4-2 as he made 28 saves. Florida will host the New York Islanders in their only appearance in Sunrise this season on Saturday night.