SUNRISE, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 04: Anton Lundell #15 of the Florida Panthers scores a goal against Joonas Korpisalo #70 of the Boston Bruins during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena on February 04, 2026 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to the Olympic break, folks!
The NHL is officially paused for around three weeks, with players either heading off to Milan or (probably) heading to some kind of tropical locale for a bit of a break.
The Bruins entered the break with a 5-4 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers last night, their second consecutive shootout loss in the cursed state of Florida.
Your highlights:
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If you don’t want to watch the highlights but want a brief recap of what happened:
- It was a back-and-forth game early, but Florida ended up taking a 4-2 lead into the third period on the back of three special teams goals (2 PP, 1 SHG) in the second period.
- The B’s tied it up in the third on goals by Mark Kastelic and Casey Mittelstadt.
- Brad Marchand ended up scoring the eventual winning goal in the shootout, beating Joonas Korpisalo in the fourth round; Mittelstadt’s attempt was stopped by Sergei Bobrovsky, giving the Panthers the win.
The more notable (and rage-inducing) part of the game came in the first period, when Panthers forward Sandis Vilmanis elbowed Charlie McAvoy in the head:
Charlie McAvoy down the tunnel….
…Florida to the powerplay. Unbelievable.
pic.twitter.com/j0Y5lNsO4M
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ)
February 5, 2026
Vilmanis was only given two minutes for an illegal check to the head, and the Panthers actually ended up with a power play because the Bruins were given two minutes for roughing for going after Vilmanis, plus a bonus two for unsportsmanlike conduct by the bench.
Only in the NHL could a player get illegally elbowed in the head and have his team end up disadvantaged.
McAvoy did eventually return to the game, and I imagine Vilmanis will end up getting fined like $1,500 or something today.
Marco Sturm’s thoughts on the hit:
Marco Sturm's full thoughts on the Charlie McAvoy hit:
pic.twitter.com/VRAhzNLmbc
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson)
February 5, 2026
I don’t know why, but the “but, anyway” at the end is funny to me.
Vilmanis didn’t skate another shift after the hit, allegedly leaving with an upper-body injury.
Regardless of your (correct) feelings on the McAvoy incident, this was a game that saw the B’s let down by special teams play.
They were given seven PP opportunities, and only converted once — plus, they allowed a shorthanded goal, so…those kind of cancel each other out.
They also allowed Florida to convert on two of their three PP chances, so not a banner night for the PP or PK.
The B’s head into the Olympic break with points in seven consecutive games, and while taking two out of four points on this Florida trip certainly isn’t the worst result, you can’t help but think they left something on the table.
The glass is either half full or half empty, I guess, depending on your perspective.
Over in Milan, things are off to a bumpy start in the ice hockey world, with the Canadian women’s team’s
opening game postponed due to cases of norovirus spreading among the Finland women’s team.
A norovirus outbreak in the Olympic village is………..not ideal.
Anyways, the first half(ish) of the Bruins season is over: 32-20-5, 69 points, currently in a playoff spot (with a four-point cushion).
It’s also worth noting that the B’s are only three points from 2nd/3rd in the division.
Overall, this first half feels like a slight overachievement.
What’s on tap for today?
