The Panthers had a strong start by forcing turnovers through their aggressive forecheck and taking the first five shots on goal. However, the Bruins quickly adjusted and began pressuring the Panthers, resulting in turnovers in their defensive zone.
The Panthers did not resemble the precise and dominant squad that steamrolled the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, winning in five games. After a week-long break following their 6-1 victory in Game 5 on April 29, Florida was not as polished.
In contrast, the Bruins were filled with emotion after moving on to the next round with a 2-1 victory in overtime against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of their initial playoff series on Saturday.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice expressed disappointment in their performance tonight, acknowledging that the game did not reflect the final score. While crediting the opposing team for their strong plays and rhythm, Maurice also noted their patient approach. Ultimately, this was a positive outcome for the other team, but not for the Panthers.
The Panthers need to fix several mistakes in order to bounce back in Game 2 of the seven-game series against the Bruins. They had numerous turnovers in the defensive zone, missed coverage assignments, failed to convert on three power-play opportunities, and did not put enough pressure on Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman, who made 38 saves. The next game will be played on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcasted on ESPN, SN, TVAS, and CBC.
The Florida Panthers will examine the footage, however, the majority of their mistakes in the 5-1 defeat to the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday were clear.
“They seem to be finding their groove while we had a break this week, but I thought they performed well,” commented Kyle Okposo, a forward for the Panthers. “It appeared that they stuck to their game strategy and were on point, while we had a few too many lapses tonight which they took advantage of.”
