Florida put up a strong fight and ended up in some confrontations, but the Panthers were pleased with the results.
Aleksander Barkov scored two goals and assisted twice, while Sam Reinhart contributed four assists as the Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins 6-1 on Wednesday, evening the second-round series at one game each. Brandon Montour, Steven Lorentz, Gustav Forsling, and Eetu Luostarinen also found the net for Florida.
The Panthers forced Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman out of the game early in the third period after scoring four consecutive goals, then added two more against Linus Ullmark. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 14 saves for the Panthers.
The Panthers’ five-goal lead equaled their largest margin of victory in a playoff game, matching their win over Tampa Bay on April 29.
Charlie Coyle scored the only goal for the Bruins, who lost to Florida for the first time in six meetings this season. The series will now move to Boston for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday.
The intensity escalated in the third period, resulting in 146 penalty minutes, with multiple altercations setting the stage for Friday’s game. One highlight was Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk engaging in a physical battle with Boston’s David Pastrnak, adding to the intrigue of the series.
