BOSTON (AP) — Brad Marchand had two assists in his emotional return to Boston, and Carter Verhaeghe scored the winner with 27 seconds left to help the Florida Panthers beat the Bruins 4-3 on Tuesday night.
Boston rallied to tie it after trailing 2-0 lead in the third period, then Marchand skated through the neutral zone and flipped the puck ahead to Eetu Luostarinen as he burst ahead of the last defender and beat Jeremy Swayman to make it 3-2 with 10 minutes to play.
With the Boston net empty, Morgan Geekie made it 3-3 with 1:31 left. But Verhaeghe broke the tie with 27 seconds to play.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Swayman made 19 saves for Boston, which lost its fifth straight game after starting Marco Sturm’s coaching tenure with three wins in a row.
Marchand received a standing ovation when he was the last player to leave the ice after the pregame warmups, and then another when the TD Garden scoreboard played a highlight video from his time in Boston.
The four-time All-Star and the last remaining member of Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup championship team, who was dealt to Florida at the trade deadline last season, broke down as he waved to the crowd and tapped his heart.
Marchand, who went on to help the Panthers win their second straight Stanley Cup title, drew a tripping penalty 33 seconds into the game and was swiping at the puck in the crease on the ensuing power play along with Mackie Samoskevich, who was credited with the goal.
A.J. Greer made it 2-0 in the second period. Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm also scored for Boston.
Up next
Florida hosts Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
Boston hosts Anaheim on Thursday night.