Need to Know: Bruins vs. Panthers | Second Round

SUNRISE, Fla. – It’s a rematch in Round 2.

For the second consecutive season, the Bruins and Panthers will do battle in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, this time one round later than last spring when Florida shocked the record-setting Black & Gold when it overcame a 3-1 series deficit to win Game 7 in overtime.

“We learn from the past, but right now it’s all about both teams are in different situations,” coach Jim Montgomery said following Monday’s morning skate at Amerant Bank Arena. “It’s not Round 1. Round 1’s the Wild, Wild West. Round 2, people settle in more to who the teams are and their identity.

“And that’s what’s going to determine the success of whoever prevails in this series is gonna be the team that can get to their identity. Our identities are different.”

While the Bruins swept the regular-season series (4-0-0), the teams battled at the top of the Atlantic Division all year, before Florida leapfrogged Boston in the final days of the season to capture the crown. Per NHL Stats, across the 192 days in the 2023-24 campaign, the Bruins (159) or Panthers (28) held first place in the Atlantic Division for 187 days (97%), including for 183 straight days dating back to October 19.

“They’re playing really good hockey, just watching from afar, playing against them a lot [during] my time in Tampa. They’ve gotten a lot better over the years,” said Pat Maroon. “They play stingy hockey, they play simple, hard, heavy, they don’t really get out of their structure. It’s gonna be a good test.

“We’re really looking forward to it. It’s another challenge for us to play another good hockey team. They made it to the Stanley Cup Final last year for a reason. So, they’re gonna bring their best. We just have to be ready and respond.”

Florida took out Tampa in five games in the first round and has not played since April 29, while the Bruins are just two days removed from their thrilling Game 7 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden. Boston is aiming to ride that high into the start of Round 2.

“I think it’s great,” Charlie Coyle said of the quick turnaround. “You don’t get out of it. You’re in that mode and you’re right back into it. It’s a new series, but the same mindset, the same things we want to bring. I think early on in the playoffs, I think that’s a good thing to not get out of it.

“You’re just on to the next one and bring that excitement and that focus. They haven’t played in a while and we just played two nights ago. It’s a little different in that aspect. But I like being in this position right now, just to stay in that mode.”

Take a closer look at the second-round matchup between the Bruins and Panthers:

All Lined Up

Here’s how the Bruins lined it up at morning skate on Monday morning:

FORWARDS

Brad Marchand – Charlie Coyle – Jake DeBrusk

Pavel Zacha – Morgan Geekie – David Pastrnak

James van Riemsdyk – Trent Frederic – Justin Brazeau

Johnny Beecher – Patrick Brown – Pat Maroon

Jakub Lauko/Jesper Boqvist

DEFENSEMEN

Mason Lohrei – Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm – Parker Wotherspoon

Derek Forbort – Kevin Shattenkirk

Andrew Peeke/Matt Grzelcyk

GOALIES

Jeremy Swayman/Linus Ullmark

Brandon Carlo did not take part in the morning skate as he remained in Boston with his wife, Mayson, for the birth of ther second child – a baby boy, Crew – early on Monday morning. Montgomery said the team is “very hopeful” that Carlo is able to arrive in time for Game 1 but that he doesn’t have “any determination on that yet.”

If Carlo does not play, Montgomery said either Matt Grzelcyk or Derek Forbort (who has not played since early March due to injury) would sub into the lineup.

Up front, meanwhile, the Bruins could make a tweak on the fourth line as Patrick Brown was recalled on an emergency basis from Providence on Sunday. He centered the fourth line between Johnny Beecher and Pat Maroon during Monday’s pregame skate.

“Well, we have some bumps and bruises that we have to address so we’re getting him reps. We’ll see how the health of our team is come 8 o’clock,” said Montgomery. “The execution and effort in [Brown’s] game…every time he’s played for us, it’s tremendous – second and third effort, strong on pucks, wins a lot of battles, and his execution of how we want to play. He knows exactly what we’re doing in every situations. Those are the real strengths of his game.”

Brown said he is remaining prepared to make his playoff debut as he aims to bring “energy” and “compete” should he make it into the lineup.

“Win face-offs, win all my puck battles, and just try to wear the other team down,” Brown said of what he aims to focus on. “You just gotta stay ready. I’ve been watching the games on TV. You get more anxious watching than playing. I’ve been following, just excited to be here.

“Keep doing the same thing, win your battles, bring a lot of energy on the bench.”

The injured Andrew Peeke (out since Game 2 vs. Toronto) and Danton Heinen (out since Game 5 against the Maple Leafs) were both full participants in Monday’s morning skate and are “getting close,” per Montgomery.

“They’re making steps. Not there yet. Ruled out for tonight,” said Montgomery.

When it comes to who will get the start between the pipes, Montgomery said the Bruins will stick to their plan.

“We always said that we had a plan in place,” said Montgomery. “That continues for this series, the same plan we had. There’s something to consider is the number of games we’re playing and the fact that neither of our goalies played that many games in such a short amount of time. And then you have the added adrenaline and emotion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It all factors into our decision-making.”

Opposing View

Projected Florida Lineup (per FloridaPanthers.com):

FORWARDS

Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart

Evan Rodrigues – Kevin Stenlund – Vladimir Tarasenko

Nick Cousins – Steven Lorentz – Kyle Okposo

DEFENSEMEN

Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour

Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov

GOALIES

Sergei Bobrovsky

Anthony Stolarz

Coach Paul Maurice said the injured Sam Bennet – sidelined since April 23 – will remain out for Game 1 and is considered day-to-day.

The Panthers have 13 players – same as the Bruins – that participated in last spring’s first-round showdown. Florida ranked 11th in the league in scoring this season (3.23 goals per game), three spots ahead of the Bruins (3.21). They were eighth on the power play (23.5%) and tied with the Bruins for sixth on the penalty kill (82.5%).

Defensively, Florida was tied with the Winnipeg Jets for the lowest goals against per game (2.41) this season.

“I think we’ve got to create more offense, but we’re playing the No. 1 defensive team 5-on-5,” said Montgomery. “So, it’s not gonna be easier but we’ve got to be harder offensively, I think a lot of Game 3 [against Toronto], the way we played offensively. I thought we were more determined in the hard areas. I think that’s gonna be really important.”

Sam Reinhart led the Panthers – and ranked second in the league behind Toronto Auston Matthews – with a career-high 57 goals to go along with 94 points, while Matthew Tkachuk (26-62—88) and Aleksander Barkov (23-57—80) also hit the 80-point plateau. Carter Verhaeghe was second on the Panthers with 34 goals and fourth with 72 points.

Barkov was recently named a finalist for the Selke Trophy for third time in the last four seasons. He won the award in 2021.

“He’s a hell of a player. Maybe if Patrice hadn’t been playing, he’d have won [more] by now,” said Bruins general manager Don Sweeney. “But it’s a credit to him as a hockey player. He’s a leader for their hockey club and we have to respect the opponent…a really good hockey player and a catalyst for their team, so we’re gonna have to be aware of him and what he brings to the table.”

Six other players registered double-digits goals: Sam Bennett, 20; Anton Lundell, 13; Eetu Luostarinen, 12; Evan Rodrigues, 12; Kevin Stenlund, 11; and Gustsav Forsling, 10.

In Florida’s five-game, first-round series win over Tampa, Verhaeghe paced the Panthers with five goals and nine points. Tkachuk (three goals, six assists) also had nine points in the series.

Vezina finalist Sergei Bobrovsky was 36-17-4 with a .915 save percentage and 2.37 goals against average in 58 games in 2023-24. Backup Anthony Stolarz was 16-7-2 with a .925 and 2.03 GAA. In the first round, Bobrovsky played in all five games (4-1) and allowed 14 goals on 135 shots (.896 save percentage; 2.78 GAA).

“Very similar team, their depth is there,” said Sweeney. “They play the right way, they don’t give up a lot of scoring chances. The series should be tight. Power play is good. Bobrovsky’s played well, Stolarz has played well. It’s a hell of an opponent and I think we know each other pretty well and what our strengths are. It’s just gonna come down to winning the small areas of the game that generally translate throughout a series and hopefully we find a way to persevere this year.”

This Season

The Bruins and Panthers met four times during the regular season with Boston sweeping the seasons series, winning twice in regulation and twice in overtime. It was the sixth time in history that Boston swept the season series.

Oct. 30 at Boston – Panthers 2, Bruins 3 (OT)

The Bruins rallied from a 2-0 first-period deficit to win on Pavel Zacha’s overtime goal at 3:36 of the extra session. The victory extended Boston’s season-opening point streak to nine games. Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy also scored for Boston, while Linus Ullmark made 35 saves for the win.

Nov. 22 at Florida – Bruins 3, Panthers 1

Ullmark made 27 saves as Boston closed out its Dads’ Trip the night before Thanksgiving with a win in Sunrise. Charlie Coyle, Johnny Beecher, and Jake DeBrusk had the goals.

March 26 at Florida – Bruins 4, Panthers 3

Trent Frederic tied the game with a power-play tally with 4:22 remaining in regulation, before Zacha won it with a marker just 2:01 later. Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak also scored, while Swayman made 18 stops between the pipes.

April 6 at Boston – Panthers 2, Bruins 3 (OT)

Jesper Boqvist scored at 2:05 of overtime to lift Florida to a season series sweep. Coyle and McAvoy had the other goals for Boston and Ullmark made 28 stops.

Postseason History

The clubs have met twice before in the Stanley Cup Playoffs: a first-round matchup in 1996 that the Panthers won in five games and last season’s first-round stunner, which saw Florida overcome a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Bruins in overtime of Game 7 at TD Garden. The shocking loss ended Boston’s historic, record-breaking campaign, though that is not necessarily on the mind of the Bruins as this series begins.

“I think you always have to play [with an edge] no matter who you’re playing, you’ve got to play with that chip on your shoulder,” said Coyle. “I think that kind of helps you stay focused and be into it. Doesn’t matter who you’re playing, we know what’s happened in the past.

“These guys are a good team, they’ve been a great team, they’ve only gotten better this year. It’s gonna be a great challenge, we’re looking forward to it. It’s exciting. We’re ready to go.”

Fun Facts:

• During the 1996 series, the Bruins and Panthers had five days off between Games 1 and 2 because of a Garth Brooks concert at Miami Arena.
• The Bruins’ 1996 playoff appearance was their NHL record 29^th consecutive trip to the postseason. The streak ended the following season.
• Boston extended its NHL record for Game Sevens to 30 (15-15) during last season’s series. Patrice Bergeron played in his 14th career playoff overtime Game 7, which tied Zdeno Chara for the most in NHL history.

Series Schedule

Game 1: Monday, May 6 at 8 p.m. (Amerant Bank Arena | TV: ESPN, Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS | RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub)

Game 2: Wednesday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. (Amerant Bank Arena | TV: ESPN, Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS | RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub)

Game 3: Friday, May 10 at 7 p.m. (TD Garden | TV: TNT, MAX, truTV, Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS | RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub)

Game 4: Sunday, May 12 at TBD (TD Garden | TV: TBS, MAX, truTV, Sportsnet, TVAS | RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub)

Game 5:* Tuesday, May 14 at TBD (Amerant Bank Arena | TV: TBD | RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub)

Game 6:* Friday, May 17 at TBD (TD Garden | TV: TBD | RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub)

Game 7:* Sunday, May 19 at TBD (Amerant Bank Arena | TV: TBD | RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub)