SUNRISE, FLA – Get ready, Bruins’ Nation. The Black and Gold will be playing for first place in the Atlantic Division Tuesday night in Tampa.

First things first.

Last March the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers were neck and neck for a playoff position down the stretch run. Neither made it to post-season play.

The difference between a year ago and this March? Barring a colossal collapse by either, both teams are locking into two of the eight playoff positions in the Eastern Conference.

The Panthers, no longer pushovers, have held the top spot in the division for most of 2016. But losing four of their last five and going 4-4-2 in their last 10, while Tampa Bay has taken nine of their last ten pushed the ‘Cats off their perch and into second place.

The Black and Gold meanwhile went 6-3-1 in their last 10 to get within one point of the Panthers. First and second place means home ice in the first round of the playoffs.

Coming off their best two games of the season with a win and tie Thursday and Saturday at TD Garden vs. Chicago and Washington, respectively, the Bruins were in South Florida for a back-to-back set against the two teams ahead of them.

Monday night the Panthers. Twenty-four hours later a cross-state meeting with the Lightning.

“There’s a lot on the line,” ex-Bruin Shawn Thornton said after his team’s morning practice.

“It’s either second place or third place, so it’s a big one,” echoed his coach, Gerard Gallant.

“They’re headed in the right direction,” Claude Julien said. “It’s an exciting game for both teams.”

It sure was. Here’s what we learned after Boston stepped into second place in the Atlantic, surviving a torrid Panthers’ comeback in the 5-4 overtime win.

Bergeron leads first period blitz

For the third consecutive time, Patrice Bergeron scored his team’s first goal of the game. Just 34 ticks in, Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Lee Stempniak broke in 3-on-2 on Roberto Luongo. Marchand shoveled a left-wing pass across to Bergeron, who tipped it by Luongo for his 27th of the season.

Then at 7:00, David Pastrnak put the B’s up by two when he broke in solo on Luongo, going five-hole for his ninth of the season. A Gallant challenge for offside did not stand up. Matt Beleskey and Dennis Seidenberg assisted.

Brett Connolly made it 3-0 at 12:22 when he beat Luongo with a 20-foot wrist shot from the left faceoff circle unassisted.

Seconds after Florida scored, it was the first line once again leading yet another odd-man rush and putting Boston up by three at 4-1 when Marchand, Stempniak and Bergeron combined at 17:25 for Bergeron’s 28th. That chased Roberto Luongo to the showers with Al Montoya taking over at the start of the second period.

Panthers own second period

Newcomer Jiri Hudler made it a two-goal game at 3:15 of the second period. With Brett Connolly in the penalty box, Reilly Smith set up Jussi Jokinen at 6:08 and it was 4-3. Landon Ferraro broke in solo at the 12-minute mark, but Montoya preserved the one-goal deficit. Krejci dug his team a hole at 19:01, taking a 4-minute high-sticking penalty.

The ‘Cats outshot Boston 17-6 in the second period.

“We actually lost our offensive game in the second,” Julien said. “We had to get to overtime to win it.”

Collapse completed, but Stempniak saves the two points

Hudler scored his second of the game, slipping a rebound past Rask with four minutes left in regulation. That sent the game to overtime after Boston allowed 45 shots on Rask in regulation – and what would be 51 overall.

“It makes me more comfortable with him playing against top lines,” Julien said about his newest member of the team after Stempniak beat Montoya with nearly a minute left in OT when he and Ryan Spooner bought a 2-on-1 to payday. “Not too many goaltenders can stop that shot. He came up big for us tonight.”

Indeed, with three points and a plus-3 adding up to six total points since Don Sweeney scooped him from New Jersey at the trade deadline.

“For me it’s playing with two great players and trying not to mess it up,” Stempniak said modestly. “I had some time to lock [the winning goal] up.”

Home and road records

Both teams were among the NHL’s best with Florida 20-9-4 at home and Boston 21-7-3 on the road. Make that 22-7-3 as Boston stays with Washington for the best road records in the league.

Front and center(s)

Not too many teams in the NHL as knee-deep in the center position as Boston and Florida. The Bruins sport Bergeron, David Krejci and Spooner with 57, 50 and 44 points, respectively. The ‘Cats with Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau with 41, 40 and 40.

Rask save of the season among 51 shots?

Boston went on the power play 11 minutes into the first period. Down 2-0 and shorthanded, Logan Shaw and Barkov went 2-on-1. A Shaw shove across to Barkov gave him the open net, but Rask closed the gap with a highlight-reel save.

“One of the guys that was good for us was our goaltender,” Julien said.

“A lot of rubber,” Rask said about facing 51 shots. “We gave up a lot. Stayed way too passive after getting the lead.”

Trotman chips in

With the injury to Kevan Miller Thursday night — word he is “day to day” — Julien inserted Zach Trotman into the lineup for the first time since February 18, an eight-game absence. Paired with Torey Krug, Trotman played 10:12 with a plus-one.

Jagr makes history

After a goaltender-interference challenge by Claude Julien at 16:48 of the first period, the Aleksander Barkov goal held up with Jaromir Jagr assisting. That gave him 1,851 career points — third all time eclipsing Gordie Howe.

Boston connections

In the Jimmy Hayes for Reilly Smith trade last summer, Smith has the upper hand at 21-19-40 and a plus-9 to Hayes’ 13-16-29 and a minus-7.

Jagr also passed Ray Bourque for ninth all-time in games played with 1,613.

Bobby Orr was in the house Monday night. Looking his usual youthful self, No. 4 exchanged pleasantries in the media dining room with the Boston contingent. Word is that Orr spends much of the winter in the Sunshine State.

With the win, Julien becomes the all-time winningest coach in franchise history at 388.

Zee family expands

Zdeno Chara flew to Florida today and played 25:18 — within 24 hours of his wife giving birth to twin sons.

“It’s an amazing thing,” Chara said Monday night. “Give a lot of credit to my wife – obviously an unbelievable experience. We welcome two sons to our family.”

The Chara’s also have one daughter.