The Bruins’ fourth line is at the forefront of the offensive attack

“Really happy with the last six … and the fourth line was very, very impressive,” Montgomery said after Monday’s 4-3 loss to the Panthers at TD Garden. “They just fulfill their role. The guys in the top 6 are not fulfilling their role. They fulfill their role.”

The fourth line totaled 6 points against Florida, with Kastelic leading the way with three assists. Beecher scored a goal and an assist, and Koepke had an assist.

“I think we all just play the same style,” Beecher said, explaining why the line quickly solidified. “[Kastelic and Koepke are] They’re both big, fast players who play north-south and I think we’re just trying to keep it simple, play with a bit of confidence and I think the jumps are just going our way at the moment. We’re going to have some nights where that’s not the case and we’ve just got to stick to our game and keep trying to give the guys some momentum out there.”

Beecher is putting together a solid rookie campaign. He plays a more physical style and Montgomery has taken notice.

“Maturity. His ability to handle more minutes I think has to do with strength and conditioning and just his overall confidence in knowing his role and enjoying it,” the coach said when asked what difference he made in this season at Beecher.

Beecher said trust was key.

“I’m holding onto the pucks a little bit longer, having confidence in myself to make some plays and do the right things out there,” he said. “We’ve only played four games but we’re off to a pretty good start and we’ve just got to try and keep going.”

A little less fighting

The Panthers’ attack with the winger lacked some bite Matthew Tkachuk He is out of the squad due to an illness that is expected to keep him out of action for about a week.

Tkachuk, chairman of Florida’s agitators panel, specializes in getting into the dirty areas while getting under the skin of his opponents and their fan bases.

Tkachuk rose to the top of the list of players Bruins supporters despised when he challenged David Pastrnak dropping the gloves in last season’s playoffs.

When Tkachuk invited last week, temperatures in Florida were climbing several notches Trent Frederick to fight, only to reverse course when Frederic removed his gloves. The result was that Frederic went to the penalty box (unsportsmanlike conduct) and Tkachuk snuck to the bench.

Tkachuk joined Aleksander Barkov on the shelf. The Panthers captain is expected to miss up to three weeks after suffering a lower-body injury last week.

Even though the Panthers were missing two of their best players, Montgomery didn’t expect his team’s intensity to wane.

“Not against the Panthers. If it’s a Colorado team that we don’t play often, I would say yes, but not the Panthers,” the Bruins coach said, adding that there is “no question” that the Panthers are the most heated had become rivals of his team.

“Well, they beat us two years in a row and won the cup. They reached the cup final,” he said. “They are the class in the NHL until they get beat. If you want to do well in this league, you have to pass it.”

Exclusive company

Sam Reinhart became the third Panther in franchise history to score a power play goal and a shorthanded goal multiple times in the same game. He joined Barkov and Pavel Bure on this list… David Pastrnaks The OT goal against the Kings was the 61st game-winner of his career. Only Johnny Bucyk (88), Patrice Bergeron (81), Phil Esposito (77) and Brad Marchand (77) precede him in franchise annals… Former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek was in the house and conveniently added some of Captain Marchand’s loot… Song of the evening: “Livin’ La Vida Loca”, by Ricky Martin.

Jim McBride can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @globejimmcbride.