BOSTON — The Florida Panthers understand how the hockey world views their chances in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Boston Bruins.
But the Panthers aren’t exactly buying their position as massive underdogs in the series versus the Bruins, who set an NHL record with 65 wins in the regular season.
While the Panthers said all the right things leading up to Monday’s Game 1 tilt at TD Garden, they were spotted sporting t-shirts that mock their underdog role.
According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, she saw Panthers’ players wearing t-shirts prior to Game 1 that said “Lead Dogs” on the back of them.
That gimmick could come back to haunt the Panthers, but it also explains their mindset heading into the best-of-seven series. Florida isn’t looking to bow down to the Bruins despite the advantages Boston holds all over the ice.
The Panthers do have some confidence facing the Bruins since Florida is one of two teams across the league that defeated Boston twice during the regular season — the Ottawa Senators are the other team.
The approach by the Panthers certainly won’t hurt their chances, but make no mistake, they have an incredibly difficult challenge in front of them as they try to topple the Bruins.
