RECAP: Tkachuk scores, but Panthers fall to Bruins in Game 1

BOSTON -- Well, the Panthers knew it wasn't going to be easy.
Falling behind 1-0 in their best-of-seven series, the Panthers suffered a 3-1 loss to the Bruins in Game 1 of the opening round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on Monday.
"I'm confident in our team and in our game," said Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, who scored the team's lone goal against Boston. "I've seen a lot of things. I think we can hang with these guys. I was happy with some parts of our game, and others we can definitely work on."

With the Panthers getting into penalty trouble early, the Bruins opened the scoring on the power play when Tyler Bertuzzi pounced on a rebound and backhanded the puck to a wide-open David Pastrnak, who then buried a shot from the bottom of the right circle to make it 1-0 at 5:58.
Even though he trailed Linus Ullmark 15-8 in shots faced during in the first period, it was Lyon that generated all of the highlights between the pipes. Making three high-danger saves in the first 20 minutes, his clutch stop on a top-of-the-crease tip form Bertuzzi really stood out.
"We gave them a couple power plays early on, and they made us pay on those," Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen said. "I think that at 5-on-5 we were right there. We kept battling hard."
Doubling the lead for Boston, Brad Marchand fired a shot from the top of the left circle that clipped off of Lyon's glove and fluttered into the net to make it 2-0 at 3:41 of the second period.
Finally breaking through on their 20th shot of the game, the Panthers cut their deficit in half when Tkachuk intercepted a pass in the offensive zone, drove to the net and showed off his hands by beating Ullmark with a slick far-side shot to make it 2-1 at 6:34.

Regaining their two-goal cushion, the Bruins took advantage of some bad luck for the Panthers. After Lyon made an initial save, the puck somehow ended up right on top of his right pad. Crashing the paint, Jake DeBrusk then poked it into the net to make it 3-1 at 17:32.
In the third period, Ullmark, who finished with 31 saves, stopped all eight shots he faced to lock in the win for Boston.
"I liked the front half of our game, even though we were down 2-0 at one point, probably better than the third," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "I think we did some good things in the offensive zone. We gave up three or four solid chances off kind of aggressiveness and some decision making, and I think we can fix that. I think that's solvable for us. Then we'll look at some places we can execute a little better in terms of how we move the puck."
Despite dropping Game 1, the Panthers are confident they can bounce back in Game 2.
After having to fight tooth and nail just to get into the playoffs, adversity is nothing new to them.
"I think we have more to give," Luostarinen said.

CATS QUOTES

"I thought when we were getting in and using the back of the net and using our points and getting [shots] through and we had someone at net-front, that's when we were getting some pretty good second and third opportunities." -- Matthew Tkachuk on Florida's execution around the net
"He was just so good. That's the game he's played for us since he's come in. His timing on those 2-on-1 plays and his reads have just been fantastic." Paul Maurice on Alex Lyon's highlight-reel stops in Game 1

CATS NOTES

• The Panthers led 3.04-1.94 in expected goals at 5-on-5, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
  - Every single player on the Panthers registered at least one it in Game 1.
  - Gustav Forsling blocked a team-high four shots on goal.
  - Alex Lyon made five high-danger saves, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
  - Matthew Tkachuk is the 17th player to score a goal in their first playoff game as a Panther.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Panthers will look to pull even in their playoff series wen they face off against the Bruins in Game 2 at TD Garden on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
To stay up to date on the playoffs, visit Playoff Central by clicking
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