5 TAKEAWAYS: Bobrovsky sharp as Panthers lose to Bruins

With the playoffs on the horizon and their position already locked up long ago, the Panthers didn't quite have their usual jump during a 4-2 loss to the Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday.
While the Presidents' Trophy remains up for grabs with two games left to play, the Panthers (57-17-6) have already claimed the Atlantic Division and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

"We had trouble getting energy and anything really going," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "[The Bruins] played hard, a little more desperate than we did, hence the score."
With Sam Reinhart providing a screen in front, Gustav Forsling opened the scoring when he ripped a shot past Linus Ullmark to put the Panthers up 1-0 eight minutes into the first period.
Taking advantage of a defensive miscue, Erik Haula beat Sergei Bobrovsky on a 2-on-1 rush to get the Bruins on the board and make it 1-1 at 16:18. Just six seconds later, Taylor Hall doubled the lead for Boston when he buried a shot from the slot on a breakaway to make it 2-1 at 16:24.
Just beating the buzzer to wipe the slate clean heading into the first intermission, Sam Reinhart jumped on a rebound and fired the puck past Ullmark and into the cage on the power play to get the score knotted back up at 2-2 with less than a second remaining on the clock in the period.
"It's small details," Forsling said. It could've gone either way. I think we had a good push, but didn't come up with a goal. I think after the first we weren't that happy, and then we came out [better] in the second. It's a tight game."
Regaining the lead for the Bruins early in the second period, Jake DeBrusk followed up on a shot from Brad Marchand and powered the rebound past Bobrovsky to make it 3-2 at 4:59.
Late in the third period, Marchand put the Bruins up 4-2 with just 3:05 left in regulation when he fired the puck into an empty net after the Panthers had pulled Bobrovsky for the extra attacker.
Finishing with 34 saves, Bobrovsky stopped 23 of 24 shots over the second and third periods.
"Good game, good flow, saw lots of pucks," said Bobrovsky, who remains one win shy of becoming the first 40-win goalie in franchise history. "Unfortunately we didn't win tonight, but it was a good game. The atmosphere was kind of a playoff atmosphere. It was fun to be there."
With just two games left until the playoffs, the fun is only just beginning.
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday's loss in Boston…

1. GUS GETS ANOTHER

Keep feeding Forsling!
Staying on fire, the Panthers defenseman notched his eighth goal in his last 14 games when he fired a shot straight past Ullmark and into the twine to put the Panthers up 1-0 in the first period.

"I've been working on getting my shot through," Forsling said. "We had two guys net-front there."
Building off his breakout in 2020-21, Forsling, who is tied for third among Florida's D-men in scoring, has recorded a career-high 37 points (10 goals, 27 assists) in 71 games this season.

2. SO MUCH POWER

Only two players in the NHL have done more damage on the power play than Reinhart.
Finding the back of the net for the 16th time this season on the man advantage, Reinhart cashed in on a rebound with less than a second left in the first period to get the score all square at 2-2.

"A big, big goal," Forsling said.
With half of his career-high 32 goals coming with the extra attacker, Reinhart's 16 power-play strikes are the sixth-most in franchise history. As it stands now, Scott Mellanby (1995-96) and Pavel Bure (2000-01) are tied for the most power-play goals by a Panther in a season with 19.
In his first season with Florida, Reinhart ranks third on the team with a career-high 80 points.

3. BEING CAUTIOUS

With the playoffs coming up, the Panthers aren't taking any risks.
Out of an abundance of caution, Anton Lundell (upper body) and Radko Gudas (lower body) both did not return to action against the Bruins after leaving tonight's game with minor injuries.
After the game, Brunette said neither player's injury is expected to be serious.
"I think we're obviously trying to be smart and a little ahead of the curve there," he said. "[They're] dealing with little tweaks and etc. We'll re-evaluate them tonight and then see their availability."
In the midst of an incredibly strong rookie season, Lundell has produced 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists), while Gudas, a force to be reckoned with on the blue line, leads the NHL with 355 hits.

4. BIG TIME BOB

Even in a rare defeat, Bobrovsky stood on his head.
Stopping 34 of 37 shots, he was particularly on top of his game in the third period when he denied all 15 shots that came in his direction to keep the door open for a potential comeback.
"I thought he was dialed in right from the start," Brunette said. "We weren't very good in front of him, especially early in the first. He kept us in the hockey game and kept it a one-goal game."

Losing just his fourth game on the road in regulation this season, Bobrovsky made more than a few highlight-reel robberies against the Bruins while finishing with a hefty 12 high-danger saves.
Leading the NHL in wins, he's gone 39-7-3 with a .913 save percentage in 2021-22.
"It's a good battle," Bobrovsky said. "It's great to have those games before playoffs."

5. LAST TWO GAMES

Heading into Canada, the Panthers have two more games to close out the regular season.
Making their final few preparations for the playoffs, they'll play their penultimate game of the season in Ottawa on Thursday before wrapping things up with Game 82 in Montreal on Friday.
As it stands now, Florida has already set franchise records for wins (57) and points (120).
Stay tuned to FloridaPanthers.com for updates regarding the postseason in the coming days.
In the meantime, make sure to join our Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge
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