SUNRISE, Florida — With 16:38 left in the first period, Panthers forward Steven Lorentz appeared to have a step on the Boston defense coming through the neutral zone early in Game 1.
But Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort took two strong strides, reached his stick out and flicked the puck away, voiding any potential threat.
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It wasn’t a remarkable play by any measure, but the veteran defenseman’s game has always been to quietly do things that prevent opponents from making remarkable plays. Forbort, who had been declared done for the season at the trade deadline, was back in the Bruins lineup playing like himself again, steady and effective.
Forbort played 27 shifts over 17:30, including almost two minutes of penalty killing, in the Bruins’ 5-1 win over the Panthers that gave them a 1-0 series lead.
Against a stronger, more physical Panthers team, Montgomery wanted to counter with size and toughness. He had flirted with using Forbort against Toronto but didn’t pull the trigger until Game 1 against Florida, using him in place of Kevin Shattenkirk.
Montgomery came under fire for his lineup decisions in Game 5 against Toronto that didn’t work, but he tabbed Forbort and Patrick Brown, who they called up before the game and both were effective.
“Forbort looked really confident. He was moving really well, the best we’ve seen him move probably before his leg injury last January,” Montgomery said. “So that was a pleasant surprise. I’m really happy for the young man because he’s worked really hard and he’s wanted to get back to wear the Spoked-B and help us in this playoff run.”
Brandon Carlo was impressed.
“I kept telling him all night that he’s an absolute warrior,” he said. “The way that he came in, and handled himself with throughout that mentally and physically was very impressive. Coming back into a regular season game when you’ve missed that much time is hard. Coming back into the playoffs is a whole different animal. I’m so proud of the way that he handled himself tonight. I thought he played fantastic and did his job very well. He’s a great addition to have back for certain aspects of the game.”
With Andrew Peeke expected back before long, Montgomery might be facing a good problem — nine defensemen for six spots.
