BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins had a win within their sights until the Florida Panthers roared back and went on to defeat Boston in overtime, 4-3, in Game 7 of their first round Stanley Cup playoff series Sunday night at TD Garden.
The Panthers take the best-of-seven series, 4-3, and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Toronto Maple Leafs while the Bruins' season comes to an end.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
It feels almost inconceivable what ended up happening to the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs.
After setting the NHL all-time record for regular-season wins and only losing four times in regulation on home ice in the regular season, the Bruins dropped their third game to the Panthers on Causeway Street in the matter of a two-week span to bow out early from the postseason. Something else unimaginable? The Bruins went 0-3 once captain Patrice Bergeron returned to the lineup from injury.
The Panthers got on top early, a trend that continued throughout the series and one the Bruins couldn't overcome. Boston once again struggled to get out of its defensive zone, a continued bad habit that led to another Panthers goal to begin the second period.
But then the Bruins flipped the script despite experiencing some Game 7 jitters. They scored three straight goals but couldn't close out the Panthers, who just wouldn't go away all series. Florida scored in the final minute of the third period before beating the Bruins to the punch in the extra frame.
What was a terrific regular season will now forever be overshadowed by the Bruins' shortcomings in the playoffs and their first-round exit.
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Carter Verhaeghe played the hero for the Panthers, scoring 8:35 in overtime through a screen to give the Panthers a monumental win.
-- Brandon Montour turned in a stellar performance for the Panthers and came up clutch when he got a shot past Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman with 59.2 seconds left in the third period to level the score. Montour also opened up the scoring nearly midway through the first period.
-- David Krejci picked a good time to score his first goal of the postseason. The Bruins veteran one-timed a feed from Dmitry Orlov on the power play to cut the initial deficit in half with 12:08 to go in the second period. Krejci also had two assists in the loss.
WAGER WATCH
Krejci came into the contest with +370 odds to net a goal, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. He cashed that ticket for bettors with his second-period tally, with a $100 bet resulting in a total payout of $470.
