Bruins
SUNRISE, Fla. – Jim Montgomery didn't mince his words Monday night.
The Bruins skated off the ice at Amerant Bank Arena a convincing 5-1 win in regards to the Panthers, but such a one-sided result didn't tell the entire story.
“I thought our performance was good. I thought we were physical,” Montgomery admitted. “I don’t think our execution was anywhere near where it needed to be. … We made a lot of mistakes and if it wasn't for Jeremy Swayman, the game would have been a lot closer and maybe they'd come out on top.”
The excellent news? While there was still more available when it comes to shot creation and execution, Boston still did enough to steal the opening game of this second-round contest.
Even if the Panthers expect a stronger response in Game 2 on Wednesday night, Florida will still face the unenviable task of trying to resolve Swayman this postseason.
After one other outstanding performance between the pipes in Game 1 (38 saves on 39 shots), Swayman will likely get the nod again in Game 2 – puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from Sunrise.
Another start on Wednesday can be Swayman's seventh straight game in net. But there may be little evidence that might stop Montgomery and his team from sticking with the 25-year-old goalkeeper.
Swayman is now 5-2 this postseason with an absurd save percentage of .955.
Swayman became the eighth goaltender in NHL history to permit two or fewer goals in each of his first seven starts in a single postseason – and the primary since Jean-Sebastian Giguere in 2007.
“One trait some of the best players have is that confidence,” defender Charlie McAvoy said. “They know how good they are. And that’s Sway.”
Aside from Swayman's strong net play, the Bruins stifled two strong offenses in Toronto and Florida due to a stifling penalty kill. Boston has killed 23 of 24 opposing power play attempts thus far this postseason, including an ideal 3-for-3 performance against Florida on Monday night.
While Boston had a 4-0-0 record against the Panthers within the regular season, Florida had a person advantage of 0-11.
The Bruins will look to depart South Florida with a 2-0 series lead on Wednesday, however the Panthers are expected to reply stronger after Monday's game was marred by D-zone failures from some solid blueliners like Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling became.
Florida remains to be waiting for the return of top-six center (and forechecking threat) Sam Bennett, who hasn't played since Game 2 of the Panthers' first-round series after taking a blow to his hand. Panthers coach Paul Maurice discovered on Tuesday that Bennett is predicted to return inside the following one to a few games.
Here are additional game details and pre-game notes:
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m
Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, Florida
TV, radio: ESPN, WBZ-FM 98.5
Line: Florida -180. O/U: 5.5.
BRUINS
Season balance: 52-23-15. vs. distribution: 43-47. About under: 39-49, 2 strokes
Last 10 games: 5-5-0. vs. spread: 4-6. About under: 2-7, 1 push
PANTHER
Season balance: 56-26-6. vs. distribution: 43-45. About under: 33-51, 4 strokes
Last 10 games: 8-2-0. vs. distribution: 5-5. About under: 5-5
TEAM STATISTICS
Goals scored: Boston 263, Florida 265
Goals allowed: Boston 221, Florida 198
Power play: Boston 22.2%, Florida 23.5%
Penalty minutes: Boston 780, Florida 1116
Penalties shoot: Boston 82.5%, Florida 82.5%
Faceoffs won: Boston 49.5%, Florida 51.3%
Statistics of the day: Jeremy Swayman, who made 38 saves within the series opener, has scored two goals or fewer in each of his first seven starts this postseason.
Remarks: The Bruins won all 4 meetings against the Panthers within the regular season. … Boston won the opening game of its first-round series against Florida last 12 months – and three of the primary 4 games – before the Panthers rebounded to defeat the Presidents' Trophy winner in seven games. … Brandon Carlo has had a turbulent time. He assisted on star David Pastrnak's additional time goal within the Bruins' 2-1 win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday night and became the daddy of a son on Monday around 3 a.m. He then got on a plane and flew to Florida before joining his teammates about two hours before Game 1 began. … “Quite a busy night, I didn’t know if I would make it in time but I’m glad I did,” said Carlo. … Morgan Geekie, Justin Brazeau and Jake DeBrusk each scored a goal and Pavel Zacha had two assists for the Bruins on Wednesday. … Florida's Matthew Tkachuk scored a goal within the second period to increase his point streak to 6 games (4 goals, six assists), the longest such streak to open the postseason in Panthers franchise history. Since the regular season, he has recorded some extent in nine straight games (five goals, nine assists).
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