Bruins lean on Pastrnak and home ice vs Panthers

The Bruins host the Florida Panthers on Sunday with the best home record in their game plan and a three-game win streak in their pocket.

They got there Thursday night, when Boston went into Pittsburgh and won 6-2. That moved Marco Sturm's team to 12-4-1, good for 25 points, third in the NHL and first in the Atlantic.

The cleanest way to see it is at TD Garden. The Bruins are 7-1-0 at home, compared with 5-3-1 on the road, and Sunday is a chance to add to that.

Florida arrives at 9-5-2 and sits fifth in the Atlantic, with a record that has been built mostly away from home. The Panthers are 5-3-2 on the road, which makes this no soft landing for Boston.

Florida is also in action Saturday at Washington, so the Panthers will be on the second half of a weekend pair when they get to Boston. I won't pretend that settles anything, but it's worth a look.

The Bruins' goal differential is +24, with 64 goals for and 40 against. The Panthers sit at +5, a gap that tells you how lopsided the two seasons have been so far.

The Bruins scorers carrying the load

David Pastrnak sets the pace with 22 points, built on 8 goals and 14 assists. He is a +7 through 17 games, and the Bruins run built on depth starts with him.

Elias Lindholm is next with 14 points, and three of his six goals have been game-winners. That's the kind of production a home date against a playoff-caliber opponent calls for.

Morgan Geekie and John-Jason Peterka each have 13 points. Geekie has 2 power-play goals and 3 power-play assists, while Peterka is a +11, the best rating of the group.

Boston doesn't need one line to do everything, and the scoring sheet shows it. Four forwards are producing at a pace that keeps the offense dangerous even when Pastrnak is held in check.

The easy read is that home ice is the edge. The harder question for Boston is whether this offense can keep scoring at this rate once the schedule stops giving it nights like the one in Pittsburgh. Sunday comes first, and the Panthers are the test.

Quick hits

WASHINGTON CAPITALSJordan Kyrou still has no goal song, and his first pick got vetoed in the locker room. Rookie hazing, veteran edition.

UTAH MAMMOTHGabriel Lepage reports that prospect Caleb Desnoyers got a dose of reality a few weeks ago. He still trusts the organization, which is the right response.

DALLAS STARSThe Stars open a three-game homestand against the Sharks tonight, and they have a home-ice problem to fix. Sound familiar, Boston fans?

VANCOUVER CANUCKSManny Malhotra told reporters after Friday's practice that the Canucks have to be ready and prepared to be better. Fair message, and overdue.

BUFFALO SABRESZach Benson's embellishment penalty against the Blue Jackets is still the talk of Sabres fans, with Conor Garland in the middle of it.