After two games in Boston that have been mired in controversy, the Panthers headed back to Sunrise for Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead. However, just like in round one, the Cats struggled to get going in the series clincher. They were slow to start and had to work themselves into the game, but overall they didn’t look sharp and the puck handling was a bit of a mess. Special teams hit its peak in Game 3 but the power play has struggled since, thankfully, the penalty kill has still been sharp and a bright spot for Florida. While Sam Reinhart played a great game, he alone was not enough to overcome the desperation edge that Boston played with to force a Game 6.
Slow Start:
Just like in the Tampa series Florida started the series clincher slow and didn’t come out with a killer bite to their game at puck drop. For the first time since game 1, the Bruins outshot the Cats in the first period 13-4. Boston was also better in the faceoff dot in the first period winning 61% of the faceoffs. It was a tough start for the Panthers and they were chasing the game for the entire first period even when there were no goals on the board. The Bruins were quicker on pucks, winning board battles, and putting the pressure on Bobrovsky. Florida did eventually work themselves into the game through the final two periods and ended up with about even SOG and won more faceoffs but the Bruins held the edge in blocked shots and hits. A lack of ice awareness left McAvoy all alone when he jumped on the ice and a failure to clear the puck out of the zone meant that McAvoy scored the game-winner while a sharp Swayman along with missed shots gave Boston the win. HC Paul Maurice said in his post-game interview that he wasn’t happy with the team’s game but it was a different unhappy than game 1.
Special Teams Hot and Cold:
One thing that’s been consistent for the Panthers is how good the penalty kill has been. The same can not be said for the power play which at times during the season has looked unstoppable and at others looked like it wastes two minutes of time. Of the 14 power plays the Bruins have gotten Florida has killed 13 of them; the lone power-play goal came in game 4 off a shot from Pastrnak. Through the first two games of the series, the Panther power play went one for nine but then exploded in efficiency in game 3 going four for six in that game. Things have come back down since then and the Panthers are back to going one for ten in games 4 and 5. Overall it’s hard to gauge where the power play is actually at, and what’s more interesting is that it’s been the second unit that’s been the more effective power play unit in this series. It’s no secret how good the Florida top power play unit is with so many weapons available but the second unit is underrated but it still has some heavy hitters like Sam Bennett, Rodrigues, and Tarasenko, who earned time on the unit after getting acquired at the trade deadline.
Desperation Edge:
Perhaps Florida needed a look at how Boston would play when their backs were completely against the wall and will be able to adjust in Game 6. But no amount of talking about being ready for how a team will play will mean that the players come out with the killer instinct to match the desperation. Elimination games are the hardest to win for a reason and Florida didn’t play like a team trying to close out a series on Tuesday night. Boston had the desperation edge and finally stopped trying to fight every single Panther on the ice and just played a hockey game. Florida needs to push back even harder than Boston even if they have a little more room to breathe in that they’ve already won enough games to force a game 7. The Cats have responded well after both games that they’ve lost so far this postseason putting up six goals in the series clincher against the Lighting and six goals in game 2 against Boston. While I doubt that Swayman will let in 6 goals for a third game in this series I do think that the Panthers will come out strong and quick, they’ve won five straight playoff games at TD Garden so they’re plenty comfortable playing in Boston’s arena. Game 6 is set for Friday in Boston.
