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Still chasing playoff berth, Panthers nip Bruins in SO

Mar 22, 2015 - 3:46 AM Sunrise, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Brandon Pirri netted the lone score in the shootout, sending Florida past Boston by a 2-1 count in a matchup rife with playoff implications on Saturday.

Jimmy Hayes tallied in regulation for the Panthers, winners of two straight and five of seven to pull within four points of the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.

"This is the stretch we want to be in," Pirri said. "We put ourselves in a position to have a fight for it."

Roberto Luongo ended up with 26 stops. Jaromir Jagr participated in his 1,540th NHL contest, tying him with Johnny Bucyk for 12th place on the all- time list.

Patrice Bergeron netted the lone goal for the Bruins, who just so happen to hold that final postseason berth despite having dropped four in a row but two beyond regulation.

Tuukka Rask lost despite 24 saves.

Each of the first three shooters failed to reach the desired result, before Pirri ended the second round with a series of stick fakes which pulled Rask out of position long enough for Pirri to score inside the left post.

Luongo nailed down the victory by stopping Ryan Spooner's chance.

Hayes redirected a Dave Bolland chance for a 1-0 Panthers edge at 14:41 of the first period.

Bergeron made it 1-1 on a power-play goal from between the circles less than three minutes into the second.

"Shootouts are huge, but finding a way in the first 60 or 65 minutes is even more important," Bergeron noted.

Game Notes

Following the end of the contest, Panthers fans took to throwing plastic rats onto the ice, a practice introduced during the 1995-96 season when Florida reached its lone Stanley Cup Finals ... Panthers forward Shawn Thornton, an ex-Bruin, appeared in his 600th NHL game ... Bruins forward David Krejci was scratched for the 14th consecutive time with a knee injury.