Montgomery praised Swayman’s performance, considering pulling him after being down 3-1 going into the third period. However, after the fourth goal, Montgomery made the decision to take him out. Swayman had two impressive saves before being replaced. ——
Montour managed to intercept the puck and prevent the Bruins’ attempt to clear it with approximately 7 seconds remaining. His shot from the right side missed the target, but Anton Lundell retrieved the rebound off the back boards and passed it to Forsling, whose powerful shot from the left side scored with only 1.3 seconds left, defeating Swayman.
The team from Florida displayed determination and also engaged in physical altercations. The results of both were well-received by the Panthers.
Swayman and Linus Ullmark shared playing time during the regular season for the Boston Bruins, with Swayman starting in 43 games compared to Ullmark’s 39. Swayman started his seventh consecutive game on the date mentioned, the longest consecutive start streak for a Boston goalie since Tuukka Rask started 11 games in a row at the end of the 2021-2022 season.
Lorentz stated that it’s impossible to prevent what cannot be perceived, and this applies to all goalies worldwide. He acknowledged the goalie’s exceptional skill and recent impressive performance.
However, the Panthers managed to find a solution. Lorentz equalized the score, Barkov scored a goal through a deflected shot to bring the score to 2-1, and Forsling made a last-minute play to increase the lead to 3-1.
Sergei Bobrovsky of the Panthers recorded 14 saves. This five-goal difference equals the largest for the team in a playoff game, matching their previous performance against Tampa Bay in a 6-1 win on April 29.
Florida completely took control after the initial 20 minutes. Throughout a span of 16 game minutes and 53 actual minutes, Boston was unable to get a single shot on goal. With 5:08 remaining in the second period, Parker Wotherspoon launched the puck from one end of the ice to the other, landing it right at Bobrovsky and receiving credit for a shot. The Bruins’ next shot did not come until Wotherspoon had one with 8:57 remaining in the third period.
“We experienced some spillover in the third period due to the emotions running high,” commented Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. “While there were some instances of undisciplined play, it’s to be expected in playoff hockey.”
Aleksander Barkov scored two goals and recorded two assists, while Sam Reinhart contributed four assists as the Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins 6-1 on Wednesday night. This win allows the Panthers to even the second-round series at one game apiece.
In these playoffs, Boston had not let in more than one goal in a single period. It had been almost two months since they last allowed three goals in a period, which happened when the New York Rangers scored three in the third period on March 21. Two of those goals were empty-netters. The last time the Bruins had a period with three goals against them while their goalie was on the ice was on March 16 against Philadelphia.
“We achieved our desired goal,” stated Barkov.
Both Pastrnak and Tkachuk were issued 10-minute misconducts, bringing the total number of players who left the game early due to altercations to 12.
The Bruins believed that Tkachuk took a couple of unnecessary shots during the brief scuffle with Pastrnak. Pastrnak’s response was, “I am not very skilled in fighting and I ended up falling down. It was my mistake.”
Brandon Montour tallied one goal and assisted on two others, while Steven Lorentz, Gustav Forsling, and Eetu Luostarinen also found the back of the net for Florida. The Panthers managed to knock out Bruins’ starting goalie Jeremy Swayman in the early stages of the third period with four consecutive goals, before adding two more against Linus Ullmark.
In the third period, Florida maintained their momentum and quickly scored another goal to make it 4-1. Barkov assisted Luostarinen for an effortless score from inside. This resulted in Swayman being replaced, and the Panthers continued to dominate.
In the third period, a total of 146 penalty minutes were given out due to several scuffles, creating a storyline that will continue into Friday. This was exemplified by Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk taking multiple shots at Boston’s David Pastrnak in a battle of top players, despite the game being decided.
Charlie Coyle scored a goal for the Bruins, but they were defeated by Florida for the first time in six games this season. The teams will now head to Boston for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday. “If you paid money to come to the rink tonight, you had a hell of a night,” Maurice said.
The AP’s coverage of the NHL playoffs can be found at the following links: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl.
According to Panthers coach Paul Maurice, there are two highly skilled players on our offense who were eager to compete with each other. He was impressed by their enthusiasm and was unconcerned about any potential offense that may have caused. He thought it was great.
Swayman was unable to reach the end of the game, as Florida was able to figure him out in the second period. He managed to block 19 of 23 shots, causing his playoff goals-against average to increase from 1.42 to 1.81.
