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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporterMay 8, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
CloseKristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.
If the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers showed us anything in Game 1 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series on Monday — a 5-1 win by the B’s — it’s this:
Expect the unexpected from this one.
The Atlantic Division rivals clashed again amid fraught recent history that will add another stimulating chapter with this postseason matchup. The Bruins fell in infamous fashion to the Panthers last spring, with the Presidents’ Trophy winners blowing a 3-1 first-round series lead to see their playoff run end early in a Game 7 overtime loss.
Then Boston went 4-0-0 in the regular season against Florida, which still won the division with one more point than the Bruins.
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The Panthers breezed through their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, and had been out of action since April 29. Meanwhile, Boston was battling its demons again, having gone up 3-1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round only to land back in a Game 7 overtime — which it won 2-1, just two days before the second round was set to begin.
That set the stage for a return to South Florida, where the well-rested Panthers awaited a battle-weary Boston brood. But surprise! It was the well-travelled Bruins who came out on top in Game 1 with a blowout victory.
Suffice it to say, the Bruins have everyone’s attention now — most especially the Panthers’. So what will Florida do in response to the rout?
Before the puck drops for Game 2 on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), we’re breaking down five burning questions for the series based on what happened in Game 1.
Can the Panthers rattle Swayman?
There’s not a more unbothered postseason player than Jeremy Swayman.
Case in point: The Bruins netminder was buried under no fewer than six bodies during a goal-line scrum in Game 1, all of them searching frantically for the puck, and Swayman had it under…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40102232/nhl-playoffs-2024-stanley-cup-bruins-panthers-series-matchups
Author : Kristen Shilton
Publish date : 2024-05-08 10:56:52
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