Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Panthers Overtime Win Over Bruins In Game 5

     The Florida Panthers remained in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at TD Garden on Wednesday night. The Panthers have been victorious in two games at Boston during this series. The Bruins lead the best-of-seven series 3-2. Game 6 will be played at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise on Friday night. 
     Defenseman Aaron Ekblad returned to the Panthers lineup after missing Game 4. Bruins center Patrice Bergeron participated in his first contest in the series. 
     Florida became the final team in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs to score in the first period. They made it 1-0 at the 8:26 mark of the opening frame. Tyler Bertuzzi sent a bad backhand pass to his own slot area. Carter Verhaeghe picked up the puck in the low slot and was forced to carry it. He centered it from left side of the cage. Anthony Duclair batted the puck in from the low slot past Linus Ullmark for his first goal in the playoffs.  
     In the second period, Boston evened it up 1-1 on the power play at 2:27. Charlie McAvoy took a snap shot from the left circle which was saved by Sergei Bobrovsky. Brad Marchand flicked the puck into the net from the blue paint for his fourth goal of the series. 
     The Panthers reclaimed the lead 2-1 with 1:08 remaining in the second. Nick Cousins touched the puck and Verhaeghe connected a pass from the left wing. Sam Bennett snapped a shot from the high slot for his third tally of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 
     The B's scored with the man advantage at the 4:33 mark. McAvoy sent a cross-ice pass from the right point. Marchand took a wrist shot from the left point and it was redirected in by Bergeron from the low slot. 
     The Cats pulled ahead 3-2 just 41 seconds later on the power play. Aleksander Barkov angled a pass from the top of the zone. Matthew Tkachuk centered from the right wing and Sam Reinhart scored on a one-time shot from the inner right circle for his second goal of the postseason. 
     The Bruins tied it 3-3 at 9:16 of the frame. Charlie Coyle cycled the puck from the left corner. Brandon Carlo rifled a slap shot from the left point. Taylor Hall controlled the puck and then snapped a shot from the high slot for his fifth goal of the series. 
     Florida scored at 6:05 in overtime for a 4-3 win. Ullmark backhanded the puck from behind his cage and it was intercepted by Verhaeghe on the end wall. He centered it and it went off Ullmark in the blue paint. Tkachuk hustled in for the loose puck in the low slot, went around the goalie and lifted a backhand shot into a wide-open net from the right of the crease. It was the third goal for Tkachuk in the postseason. 

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