Florida Panthers Stun Boston Bruins in Game 2

The Florida Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins 6-3 during Game 2 in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Wednesday night. After Wednesday’s win, the Panthers gave the Bruins their first loss in 10 games.

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Panthers Dominate Game 2

The first 20 minutes remained scoreless as the first period came to an end.

However, that changed quickly. The second period was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams.  Florida came out strong scoring just one minute into the second period with a goal by Sam Bennett putting the Panthers up 1-0. The Bruins tied the game at 12:13 of the second period with a shorthanded goal by Brad Marchand. But the Panthers retook the lead from the Bruins with a wrist shot goal by Eric Staal. The Bruins refused to give up as they scored a power play goal with three minutes to go to tie the game 2-2 going into the third.

Florida dominated in the third period, securing the win after scoring three more goals and holding the Bruins to just one.

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Key Players for Panthers

Florida goalie Alex Lyon was a hero in Game 2. He stopped 34 shots and made many key saves to help lead his team to victory.

Forward Sam Bennett returned to play Wednesday night after being out for a month because of a lower-body injury. With the opening goal and seven shots on goal, Bennett proved to be a gamechanger in his first game back. Another key player for the Panthers was Brandon Montour who scored two goals in Wednesday night’s game. Montour became the only defenseman in the team’s history to score twice during a playoff game.

BRANDON MONTOUR EVERYBODY pic.twitter.com/xyByoZa9UA

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 20, 2023

Factors for Game 3

During the Bruins record breaking regular season, they were known to be a dominant third period team. That was the case in Game 1 when Boston controlled the last 20 minutes of play and came out on top winning 3-1, but not in Game 2.  Turnovers were a major factor in Boston’s loss Wednesday night. The Bruins turned over the puck 15 times and two of the turnovers resulted in goals.

The Panthers controlled the entire game Wednesday night, never giving the Bruins the lead. However, special teams remains a problem for the Panthers. Florida had three power play opportunities in Game 2, but weren’t able to capitalize on any. This could be a gamechanger in Game 3 if they can put goals away during these advantages.

Next Up

The Panthers return to South Florida for Game 3 on Friday night with the series tied at one game apiece.