Bruins Wrap: Second-Period Response Leads To Game 1 Win Over Panthers

The Boston Bruins rode momentum into the Eastern Conference semifinals and came away with a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 1 on Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena.

The Bruins took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Bruins perhaps had their best period of the postseason in the second frame against the Panthers. And it started by surrendering a goal to Matthew Tkachuk midway through the period.

But the Bruins didn’t just drum up an answer like they did in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They roared back.

Boston leveled the score just 1:07 after Tkachuk’s tally by taking advantage of a Florida turnover and then took the lead over three minutes later on a sensational goal from Mason Lohrei. Brandon Carlo, who was a late arrival to the arena as he stayed behind for the birth of his son Monday morning, added a third goal with 21 seconds left in the stanza to give the Bruins three tallies in the final 7:08 of the period.

No one would have blamed the Bruins for coming up short in Game 1. It was a quick turnaround from a nail-biting overtime win over Toronto that had to zap a good deal of Boston’s energy.

But the Bruins didn’t let that be an excuse and served up a mighty response in which their mettle shone bright on the road.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Lohrei scored a goal that he certainly will want to put on his highlight reel. The 23-year-old continued his coming out party by sniping a shot top shelf to beat Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for a 2-1 lead with 3:43 left in the second period. Lohrei also added an assist on Justin Brazeau’s third-period goal.

— Morgan Geekie delivered the game-tying goal for the Bruins. He pounced on a loose puck out in front to start the stretch of five unanswered goals.

— Jeremy Swayman isn’t just the hot goalie, he’s on fire. Swayman turned in another stellar performance, stopping 38-of-39 shots to pick up his fifth win of the postseason. He denied Florida’s comeback bid by making 16 saves in the third period.

UP NEXT
The Bruins and Panthers take the ice for Game 2 on Wednesday. Puck drop from Amerant Bank Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN. An hour of pre- and postgame coverage can be found on NESN+.