The Florida Panthers opened their campaign in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and fell to the Boston Bruins 3-1 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at TD Garden on Monday. The Bruins lead the best-of-seven series 1-0.
The B's entered the playoffs setting the National Hockey League single-season records with 65 wins and 135 points during the 2022-23 regular season. They easily captured the Presidents' Trophy. The Cats finished up with 92 points and landed in the Eastern Conference second wild-card spot.
Both franchises have met only once time in the postseason. The Panthers defeated the Bruins in Eastern Conference first round during the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Florida was able to prevail in five games and clinched the series on a Game 5 go-ahead goal by Bill Lindsay in Miami Arena with less than five minutes left in the third period.
Boston raced out to a 1-0 lead with the man advantage at 5:58 of the first period. David Krejci took a one-time slap shot from the top left circle and Alex Lyon made a leg save. Tyler Bertuzzi made a blind backhand pass from the top of the crease and David Pastrnak put in a forehand shot from the inner right circle into a wide-open net.
In the second period, the Bruins extended their lead to 2-0 at the 3:41 mark. Dmitry Orlov backhanded the puck out of his zone. Charlie McAvoy made a left outlet pass from the neutral zone. Brad Marchand skated into the Florida zone and scored on a wrist shot from the top left circle.
Florida cut it to 2-1 at 6:34 of the period. Orlov touched the puck in the right corner and bounced to the middle of the Bruins zone. Matthew Tkachuk collected it in the inner right circle and flipped a shot from the right of the crease by Linus Ullmark.
It became 3-1 for Boston with 2:28 left in the second. Jake DeBrusk poked the puck into the cage from the edge of the blue paint. Bertuzzi and Pavel Zacha were both credited with assists on the play.
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