BOSTON – If at first you don’t succeed, try again.
The Florida Panthers will take their second crack at eliminating the Boston Bruins when they battle in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at TD Garden on Friday.
“You always want to win so badly,” Panthers forward Kevin Stenlund said. “If it doesn’t go our way, just be patient and stay in the moment. Shift by shift. It’s not going to be easy. Just stay in the moment and focus on what we can control.”
Over their last five trips to TD Garden in the playoffs, the Panthers have gone 5-0.
Beating the Bruins in their own barn in Games 3 and 4 in this series, the Panthers won those contests by a combined score of 9-4. After scoring four power-play goals in a convincing 6-2 win in Game 3, they clawed back from an early 2-0 deficit to secure a 3-2 win in Game 4.
“Another loud building, and they’re going to bring it again,” Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour said of what should be a raucous scene at TD Garden. “Their lives are on the line, and another chance for us to find a way to close it out. It’s going to be a tough game.”
Entering tonight’s matchup with a 3-2 advantage in the series, the Panthers missed out on their first chance to dispatch the Bruins with a 2-1 loss in Game 5 on Tuesday in Sunrise.
Getting off to a slow start, the Panthers fell behind early in that loss when Morgan Geekie slipped into the slot and buried a backhander to make it 1-0 just 4:49 into the first period.
Briefly tying the game on a goal from Sam Reinhart -- his fifth of the postseason -- in the second period, the Panthers fell behind once again just 4:02 later when Charlie McAvoy took advantage of traffic in the crease and scored from the slot to put Boston up 2-1.
Keeping the Panthers from pulling even, Jeremy Swayman stopped 28 of 29 shots he faced for Boston, including denying Reinhart on a quality look with just seconds left in regulation. In Florida’s crease, Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves, with eight of them being high danger.
Bobrovsky will get the nod again in Game 6; the Bruins have yet to announce a starter.
“Get back to our game,” Montour said. “Our last game was a little sluggish. We felt that. They’re playing hard. We’ve got to play just like that, stick to our game and be ready to go.”
Switching things up just a bit, the Panthers will be making two changes to their lineup heading into tonight’s tilt. Based on this morning's rushes, Kyle Okposo and Steven Lorentz will be coming out, while Ryan Lomberg and Nick Cousins will slot back in and flank Kevin Stenlund on the fourth line.
Cousins last suited up in Game 2; Lomberg hasn’t played since Game 1 of Round 1.
As always, both players are expected to provide an injection of energy.
“High-energy guys on the ice and in the locker room,” Montour said. “Lombo’s (Lomberg) been out for a little bit. Cuz (Cousins) took a few off. Those guys guys will be excited to be out there and bring that energy, bring that speed. We look forward to seeing them.”
In addition to being energetic, they’ve also been effective.
Over 57:19 of ice time spent together a 5-on-5 during the regular season, the line of Cousins, Lomberg and Stenlund didn’t allow a single goal, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
“It’s going to be fun to play,” Stenlund said of the fourth-line reunion. “They’re both good at forechecking and have a lot of speed. It’s going to be a fun game with them.”
For the Bruins, all eyes are on Brad Marchand.
Sidelined ever since he suffered an upper-body injury while trying to finish off a check on Sam Bennett in Game 3, Boston’s captain is game-time decision to play in Game 6. Despite missing the last three games, he remains the team’s points leader in the playoffs with 10.
“He’s their leader and a big difference-maker for that team,” Montour said. “A good player like him is going to help them, so we just have to match that.”
The winner of this series will face the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.
PANTHERS PLAYOFF LEADERS
Goals: Verhaeghe (6)
Assists: Tkachuk (9)
Points: Barkov, Tkachuk (13)
Hits: Ekblad, Luostarinen (37)
Blocks: Forsling (17)
BRUINS PLAYOFF LEADERS
Goals: DeBrusk (5)
Assists: Marchand (7)
Points: DeBrusk, Marchand (10)
Hits: Coyle (56)
Blocks: McAvoy (33)
THEY SAID IT
“We’re sticking together, getting in their face, making it tough for them. Some stuff to clean up, but obviously when you limit their shots it’s easier for us to keep the score down and play our game.” – Brandon Montour
“Just stay in the moment, play shift by shift and don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t go our way. Just play our game and keep it simple.” – Kevin Stenlund
“They (Ryan Lomberg and Nick Cousins) are energy bringers from the start. That goes from the locker room into the morning skate. All of the little superstation things the players have, those guys are connected to everybody. They bring that.” – Paul Maurice
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers have out-shot the Bruins in five straight games.
- The Panthers own a 94.1% success rate on the penalty kill in their last six games.
- Matthew Tkachuk has recorded a point in seven of 10 games this postseason.
- Sam Reinhart has logged six points (2G, 4A) over his last four games.
- Evan Rodrigues has posted four points (2G, 2A) in his last three games.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Vladimir Tarasenko – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Evan Rodrigues
Nick Cousins – Kevin Stenlund – Ryan Lomberg
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- May 6: F Patrick Giles recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- May 5: F Rasmus Asplund, Will Lockwood, Mackie Samoskevich and Justin Sourdif, D Mike Benning and Matt Kiersted, and G Magnus Hellberg recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Friday, May 17 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: TD Garden – Boston, MA
TV & Streaming: TNT, truTV, MAX
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM / App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
Watch Party: Baptist Health IcePlex
