Jesper Boqvist, the latest unsung hero to join the Bruins

With the win, the Bruins have now won four straight games – and close out the regular season slate with a perfect 4-0-0 record against a top Cup contender, the Panthers.

Boqvist’s win total helped strengthen Boston’s grip on the Atlantic Division – with the Bruins holding a five-point lead over the Panthers with four games remaining before the playoffs.

In a 2023-24 campaign where the Bruins have already received significant contributions from low-cost signings like Morgan Geekie and NHL players once mired in hockey purgatory like Danton Heinen, perhaps he shouldn’t be also surprising that Boqvist was the one who delivered in OT.

It hasn’t been an easy road for Boqvist, who found himself on the open market last summer after the Devils didn’t extend him a qualifying offer. He ultimately signed with Boston nearly two weeks after free agency initially began in mid-July.

Even after landing with Boston, Boqvist served three different assignments in Providence – already logging 31 games in the AHL ranks this season.

But the Swedish forward has mostly stayed with the NHL club since the new year, scoring six goals and registering 14 points in 43 games with Boston.

“It was great. He works incredibly hard and he had a great story this year,” Charlie McAvoy said of Boqvist. “He was up and down, working hard (at Providence). Then he showed up and has made the most of his opportunities, earning a spot on this team and playing every day. It’s awesome. He’s an easy guy to root for, he’s a great teammate and I couldn’t be happier for him.

Boqvist’s speed has allowed him to carve out a regular role in Jim Montgomery’s lineup, including a recent promotion to the third line – where his wheels could be used alongside another light-footed forward, Jake DeBrusk.

Regardless of where exactly he falls among the Bruins’ bottom six players, Boqvist believes Boston offered the perfect landing spot for him as he focuses on reasserting himself as an everyday NHL player.

“The standards are so high here. Even just in practice, I feel like you’re getting better, right? All these guys work really hard and you have to do it every day to keep up with these guys,” Boqvist said. “I feel like just being here every day makes you better.”

Of course, a perfect regular-season performance against the Panthers won’t ease the pain of last year’s first-round elimination — nor will it guarantee sustained success in this next playoff push.

But after treading water for more than a month after the All-Star break, the Bruins appear to be finding their game at the right time in the NHL schedule. Since Jim Montgomery publicly called out his team following a lackluster practice, Boston has won five of its last six games.

“I feel like the pressure is coming from inside the room,” Boqvist said. “We’re going to have to make sure we’re ready to play when it comes playoff time. I feel like last week here we played really well and really stuck to the Bruins hockey that we were talking about. … We just have to keep building.