Bruins Wrap: Boston Seizes Control Of Series Vs. Panthers With Game 4 Win
The Bruins made the Panthers pay for their mistakes
The Boston Bruins pushed the Florida Panthers to the brink of elimination with a 6-2 win in Game 4 on Sunday at FLA Live Arena.
The Bruins now hold a 3-1 lead in the opening-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Bruins went to Florida without their captain and licking their wounds after a Game 2 defeat, but return to Boston in complete control of the series. They really couldn’t ask for much more.
The Bruins withstood an offensive flurry to begin the game — the Panthers recorded the first 10 shots on net — but for the majority of the contest, they played the style of hockey that gave them the NHL record for wins in a season.
Boston was opportunistic and made the Panthers pay for their mistakes by notching two power-play goals in the first two periods. And then when the Panthers tried to rally in the third period, the Bruins generated an answer at every turn.
It was winning hockey the Bruins played down in Florida and they certainly benefitted from it as one more win will advance them to the next round of the playoffs.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Jake DeBrusk put himself in good position to score two goals, both of which came with the winger right on the doorstep. DeBrusk’s third-period goal was clutch as it came 1:56 after the Panthers cut the deficit to one.
— Taylor Hall continues to have a strong series as he had a four-point outing in the win. Hall helped set up both of DeBrusk’s tallies and capped the scoring with a smooth finish on a breakaway bid and an empty-net goal.
— Linus Ullmark got the nod in net and surely didn’t disappoint with a standout performance. The veteran netminder made a playoff career-high 41 stops, including making a ridiculous highlight-reel save to rob Sam Reinhart in the first period. Ullmark also received a 10-minute misconduct with 3:11 left after getting in a tussle with Matthew Tkachuk.
WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Brad Marchand opening the scoring at +1300. The Bruins star winger turned in a hustle play midway through the first period to score a power-play goal and give Boston a 1-0 lead. A $100 wager on this prop bet would have netted a total of $1,400.
UP NEXT
The Bruins look to close out the series and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a win over the Panthers in Game 5 on Wednesday. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
