Bruins' Jim Montgomery sends a clear message before facing the Panthers

The Boston Bruins are 2-1-0 entering the 2024-25 NHL season, with their only loss coming on opening night last week against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Not only did the Panthers beat the Bruins 6-4, but Florida continued to get under Boston's skin by playing the role of agitator and then failing to back up its actions when challenged. In fact, the Panthers' most villainous characters, Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, only fueled the fire with their actions at Amerant Bank Arena.

Tkachuk challenged Bruins forward Trent Frederic and then refused to drop the gloves when Frederic was called upon to do so. The Panthers star's action prompted Frederic to call an unsportsmanlike penalty and gave Florida a man advantage. Bennett drew the ire of the Bruins last season when he threw a punch at Brad Marchand in Game 3 of the playoff series between the two clubs last season. The Panthers forward didn't help his cause when he ran into Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo late in the game on Oct. 8.

The Bruins were outnumbered six times against the Panthers, and fortunately for the Black and Gold, their penalty takers did their job and held Florida scoreless due to the man advantage. The Bruins can't afford a repeat performance against the Panthers when Florida comes to TD Garden for a matinee matchup against Boston on Monday.

“We need to get back to playing hockey,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after practice at Warrior Ice Arena on Sunday in a video provided by the team. “I love that we have emotions and they are a rival, but at the same time we have to be disciplined. We get too many penalties.”

Montgomery listed three areas in which the Bruins need to improve if they want to hand the Panthers their third straight loss.

“I think for us it’s all about execution and commitment,” Montgomery said. “That wasn’t there. And it would start promptly at three.”

TD Garden puck drop is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET. You can catch all the action after an hour of pre-game coverage on NESN.