Florida @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 23, 2019 ) Boston 7, Florida 3

The Boston Bruins have gone nearly two months without losing at home and look to keep that streak intact when they host the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon. It will mark the next-to-last home game of the regular season at TD Garden for the Bruins, who have won 12 straight contests at home since an overtime loss to Philadelphia on Jan. 31.

Boston won for the fifth time in six games, getting a hat trick from David Pastrnak in a 6-3 win over the New York Rangers to maintain a five-point edge over Toronto for second place in the Atlantic Division. "I guess I'd say good," said Pastrnak after his five-point night. "But I guess to be honest I'm very happy for the two points and just to be back at home ice and we've still got to go and try to get ready for the playoffs so we are at our best hockey when it starts." The Bruins own a pair of wins this month over the Panthers, who halted an ugly three-game skid with a 5-2 win at league-worst Ottawa on Thursday night. "We want to finish the season strong," Florida coach Bob Boughner said. "We want to end it feeling better about ourselves."

TV: 1 p.m. ET, NHL Network, Sportsnet1, FS Florida, NESN (Boston)

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (34-32-12): After giving up 20 goals in three straight losses, Florida ended its funk behind the top line of captain Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov, who combined for three goals and seven points. Huberdeau scored four times in his last four games to match last season's career high of 27 goals and has nine tallies and 21 points over his past dozen games. Barkov has collected five points in three matchups with Boston this season and needs four more to tie Pavel Bure's franchise single-season record.

ABOUT THE BRUINS (47-21-9): Pastrnak, who missed more than a month after having thumb surgery before returning on March 19, has five goals and six assists during a four-game point streak. Boston also got back a pair of injured players on Wednesday with the return of Marcus Johansson and defenseman Torey Krug and expects to get back blue-liners Matt Grzelcyk and Kevan Miller over the weekend. Grzelcyk, who has been sidelined for eight games, is expected to play Saturday while Miller, sidelined for 16 games, is set to return for Sunday's contest.

OVERTIME

1. Bruins G Tuukka Rask won his lone start versus the Panthers this season to improve to 22-5-1 against them.

2. Panthers F Mike Hoffman has three of his career-high 35 goals against the Bruins this season.

3. Bruins F Brad Marchand is three points shy of becoming the first Boston player to reach 100 since 2002-03.

PREDICTION: Bruins 5, Panthers 3