This Was Major Talking Point Among Panthers After Game 5 Loss To Bruins

The Boston Bruins got off to a stronger start in Game 5 against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday than they did in their previous second-round matchups.

And following Florida’s 2-1 defeat at Amerant Bank Arena, the Panthers were quick to point to Boston’s opening stretch as a key factor.

“They came out, they were on pucks a little quicker than we are,” Panthers forward Sam Reinhart told reporters, per the team.

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov added: “They came out of the gate really hard and got going right away.”

The Black and Gold took a 1-0 advantage at 4:49 of the first period after Morgan Geekie slid one past Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Boston recorded six shots in the opening five minutes of the period and held a 12-4 edge when it entered the dressing room after 20 minutes.

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Panthers players weren’t surprised to see the Bruins play with desperation but they still didn’t match that speed and intensity.

“They came out a little better than us, got the momentum,” Florida forward Kevin Stenlund told reporters. “It’s hard to come back from a start like that. … They just won a little bit more battles than us.”

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice liked the response throughout the second and third periods. But the Bruins were ultimately able to send the best-of-seven series back to Boston after Charlie McAvoy netted the game-winning goal midway through the second period.

TD Garden will host Game 6 on Friday night.