BOSTON -- If one believed the predictions, the prognostications, the publicity heading into the Eastern Conference First Round between the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins, one might have thought that anything other than a sweep by the Bruins was preposterous.
Panthers happy to 'take the split and run' following Game 2 win
Florida swings home ice in its favor but knows it can't take 'foot off the gas' against Bruins
Even Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said earlier in the week that it was "going to take pretty much a perfect effort to win one game in the series against everything they have over there, with the season they've had."
So, certainly, the Panthers weren't going to come into TD Garden and win a game, not against a team that had lost only four games in regulation at home this season.
Now the Bruins have lost five.
The Panthers captured a 6-3 win against the Bruins in Game 2 on Wednesday, evening the best-of-7 series as they head down to Florida for Game 3 on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, BSFL, NESN).
"I mean, in a perfect world, it would have been great to steal two," Tkachuk said. "But after Game 1 (a 3-1 loss on Monday), this was all that was on our mind. We put ourselves in a position where we have home ice right now. It's about hanging onto it as long as possible."
RELATED: [Complete Bruins vs Panthers series coverage]
The Panthers didn't need perfection on Wednesday night. They needed a solid game throughout the lineup. They needed the return of Sam Bennett. They needed a good night from goalie Alex Lyon. They got it all and, with it, they got a leg up in a series that wasn't supposed to be theirs.
"It's huge, obviously," Lyon said. "Just mathematically, but again, such a quality opponent. They're just so dangerous all the time. You can't take anything for granted in these series. We can't feel too good about ourselves. We just have to continue to stay on the right track mentally and physically and just let the results speak for themselves."
It all started with Bennett, who returned to the lineup after missing 13 games with a groin injury. He opened the scoring at 1:42 of the second period, but the teams traded goals and entered the third knotted at 2-2.
It's a period that has been extremely unkind to Boston's opponents all season. Not only did the Bruins score the most goals in the third in the regular season (113), they also allowed the fewest (59).
That didn't matter to the Panthers.
A mere 22 seconds into the third period, Brandon Montour beat Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark with a shot from the right point during a 4-on-4. The Panthers then poured it on, getting goals from Carter Verhaeghe (7:00), Montour again (12:30) and Eetu Luostarinen into an empty net (17:35).
"Belief has always been there," Tkachuk said. "We knew it was going to be such a tough task, but to sit there and just give away the series at the beginning of it? That's not how we roll. That's not how our mindset has been all year. … We're confident playing against anybody.
"Before the third, we were talking about, you've got to win in here eventually if we're going to want to win the series, so to come out with that effort in the third was really important for our team."
They pushed and pushed, and they didn't tighten up.
"You build a little belief in each game," Florida coach Paul Maurice said. "That's what we're trying to do. We'd be more than happy to play seven of them. We'd be fine with that. Grind it as hard as we can for as long as we can."
Maurice opted to give Lyon the start again in Game 2 after he allowed three goals on 29 shots in Game 1. The coach was rewarded, with Lyon putting in a workmanlike effort in making 34 saves for the win.
After the game, Lyon was all smiles.
He wasn't the only one.
"When a team set the regular-season record of most wins or most points, both, obviously a historically good team, you understand the task at hand," Lyon said. "I don't know if necessarily awe, but just you understand what a quality opponent that you're facing and the test that's at hand.
"I think we were prepared for that. But like I said, moving forward we can't take our foot off the gas. It's just going to continue to get harder from here on out."
They know that. As Lyon said, they know they're still facing the team that set the regular-season record for wins (65) and points (135). And they know that, even though the series is tied, the Bruins remain the favorite.
But for now, as they head back home, they're satisfied.
They did what they needed to do.
"If you would have [asked] me right after Game 1 what's the goal for Game 2, it's just get a win," Tkachuk said. "Somehow, someway, get it. We did and we're going back to Florida even. We'll take the split and run."
