Panthers pummel Bruins
Aleksander Barkov had two goals and two assists, Sam Reinhart added four assists, and the Panthers beat the Bruins, 6-1, on Wednesday night in Sunrise, Fla., to tie the second-round series at a game apiece.
Brandon Montour had a goal and two assists, and Steven Lorentz, Gustav Forsling and Eetu Luostarinen also scored. The Panthers chased Bruins starter Jeremy Swayman early in the third period after four straight goals, then added two more against Linus Ullmark.
Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 15 saves for the Panthers. The five-goal margin matched Florida’s biggest in a playoff game, tying the mark set against Tampa Bay in another 6-1 victory April 29.
Charlie Coyle had the goal for the Bruins, who lost to Florida for the first time in six meetings this season. The series shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Friday night and Game 4 on Sunday night.
And it’s a series now — 136 penalty minutes getting handed out in the third period after multiple dustups created a narrative that will carry into Friday, highlighted by Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk getting several shots in on Boston’s David Pastrnak in a star-onstar showdown with the game already out of hand.
After the first 20 minutes, Florida was simply dominant. It didn’t even allow Boston a single shot on goal for a stretch of more than 16 minutes of game time, 53 minutes of actual time. Parker Wotherspoon sent the puck the full length of the ice with 5:08 left in the second, credited as a shot since it was right at Bobrovsky. The Bruins didn’t get another shot until Wotherspoon had one with 8:57 left in the third.
Canucks 5, Oilers 4
In Vancouver, British Columbia, Conor Garland broke a tie with 5:34 left and the Canucks overcame a three-goal deficit to beat the Oilers in Game 1 of the second-round playoff series.
Game 2 is Friday night in Vancouver.