The Bruins started out with several good scoring chances, nearly but not quite getting through a recharged and Flu-free Jose Theodore.
It did not take very long for brand-new Panther Krys Barch to make a mark, drilling Daniel Paille on his first shift. The Bruins Shawn Thornton took exception, and the two dropped the gloves. The two were each assessed five minutes for fighting with Barch getting an additional two minutes for boarding.
The Panthers killed the ensuing power play, but the Bruins were putting a lot of heat on the Florida net. The Bruins hit the goalpost three times in the next few minutes but did not fool Theodore.
Mike Santorelli was called for tripping Patrice Bergeron at the 9:31 mark, but the Cats were up to the task of killing the penalty off.
The brand new fourth line was proving very creative at the 16 minute mark, with Barch, Mikael Samuelsson and Tim Kennedy nearly breaking the tie with some fancy stickwork.
The Bruins were holding it in the Florida zone for about 90 seconds just a bit later and looked a threat to score, when Jack Skille broke it up by checking a Bruins forward into the boards and stealing the puck, clearing it up the ice.
Blocked Shots: Florida, 6-1
Hits: Tied, 7-7
Faceoffs: Bruins, 10-7
Shots: Bruins, 12-8
Score: Florida 0, Boston 0