SUNRISE, Fla – Pick the team the Bruins have had the most success with this season and it’s the Florida Panthers. Three prior meetings against Jaromir Jagr and company resulted in three wins for Claude Julien’s bunch.

“One of those teams we’ve played well enough to find ways to win games,” Julien said Saturday morning. “It’s always a big game – a four-point game.”

Indeed, the Bruins fell off their playoff perch before the game with Thursday’s loss to Edmonton coupled with the surging Maple Leafs’ win Friday night in New Jersey. The Panthers – after an afternoon to forget at the Fort Lauderdale airport – put in a gutsy effort Friday night, dispensing Nashville, 2-1, to pull within two points of Boston with a game in hand. Toronto has three in hand.

With a four-game road trip the next week, including stops in Carolina Sunday night, St. Louis Tuesday and Nashville Thursday, second-half four-pointers and critical “W’s” become the order of the day.

Tuukka Rask at 19-9-3 with a 2.00 GAA back between the Boston pipes Saturday with Zane McIntyre called up as backup and likely in net on Sunday. David Backes returns after missing three games with concussion protocol.

For Florida, the Cats missing three key pieces in forwards Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and goaltender Roberto Luongo. James Reimer at 6-5-3 and a 2.49 GAA spelling Luongo again after Friday’s victory to push them to 10-7-3 at home. Boston 11-7-4 away from TD Garden.

Here’s what we learned as the Bruins picked up their first win of 2017.

“Aside from a few ebbs and flows, we played a pretty solid game,” Julien summed after.

Marchand gets B’s on the board short-handed

.@BMarch63 with the shorty pic.twitter.com/4xm6oDcLF3

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 8, 2017

At 12:12 of the first period, Jimmy Hayes took two for slashing. But Brad Marchand streaked in alone for his 11th of the season unassisted at 12:48, deking Reimer left and tucking a backhand off the post for the early 1-0 lead. 

“Just tried to make a move and go blocker side,” Marchand said about the game’s first goal.

Cats’ PK a killer in first

The Panthers entered the game with the third-best penalty kill since November 29 and seventh overall in the NHL. That stat would remain intact in the first 20 minutes when the Bruins went on the man-advantage at 14:45 of the first period – to no avail. Again, at 18:06 the B’s PP was denied.

Back(es) at home.

.@dbackes42 scored in his return to make it 2-0 #NHLBruins 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Ovmgau3JrK — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 8, 2017

He makes a living parked in front of opposing goaltenders.

At 4:13 of the second period, Backes was in front of Reimer, tipping home a Zdeno Chara shot from the point for the two-goal lead; David Krejci also assisting. It was Backes’s 10th of the year and 20th point in 33 games with a minus-2.

Signed in the off-season to a five-year deal worth $30 million, how does Backes stack up against Loui Eriksson halfway through the season? Edge to Backes – Eriksson with 9-10-19 and a minus-7 in 41 games with the Canucks at $36 million for six years.

B’s PP breaks through Cats’ PK

.@Bmarch63 picked up his second of the night with this PPG to make it 3-0 🚨 pic.twitter.com/KabyaJ9TLA

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 8, 2017

At 10:40 of the second, Marchand drove a rebound of a Torey Krug blast passed Reimer for his second of the game and 12th overall for the 3-0 lead; David Pastrnak also assisting. It was Marchand’s team-leading 34th point of the season.

“He can score in all kinds of situations, and tonight he was having a good night,” Julien said about Marchand’s shorthanded and power-play tallies.

Ditto for the Rask task

It was Rask’s 20th win and sixth shutout of the season, 33rd career, stopping all 25 shots in the complete victory. Even more impressive, the win ran his career slate against Florida to 19-3-0.

“When there was a breakdown,” Julien said, “Tuukka was there to do his job.”

Why the career success against Florida?

“I like Florida,” he smiled. “It’s warm and sunny here. Tough to say.”

Box-to-wire win puts Boston back in second place in Atlantic – temporarily

Riley Nash put the exclamation point on the game at 4:59 of the final period when he jammed a short-side shot past Reimer at an impossible angle with Kevan Miller assisting.

“First time in a long time we played with more than a one-goal lead,” Nash said after.

With Ottawa losing to Washington and Toronto to Montreal, Boston vaulted into second place in the Atlantic. No celebration, though, as Ottawa has a four-game bulge in hand, while Toronto still has three.

“This is one of the few games that we’ve been able to extend the lead,” Julien said about his team’s 60 minutes Saturday night.

Hopefully for Julien and company, the same will apply to the Eastern Conference standings as Boston heads to Raleigh and a Sunday date with another potential playoff contender in the Hurricanes.