Tag: Florida Panthers

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Jim Montgomery hints at major change for Game 7

NBC Sports

For the second straight game, the Boston Bruins have been unable to punch their ticket to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their opponent in the Florida Panthers absolutely refuse to lay down, and have forced what just about everyone prior to the beginning of the series never thought was possible – a Game 7.

It was gritty forward Matthew Tkachuk who vowed after his overtime game winning goal in Game 5 at TD Garden that he and his teammates would be back for a winner-take-all Game 7, and his prediction has come to pass. Tkachuk scored two more goals and added an assist in what was an absolutely wild affair tonight at FLA Live Arena, a 7-5 final score to ensure that this series will be going the distance. 

The Bruins, who won an NHL-record 65 games during the regular season, looked rattled multiple times over the course of the game. Goaltender Linus Ullmark followed up his brutal giveaway in overtime of the previous game with another sorely subpar performance between the pipes, allowing six goals. 

Head coach Jim Montgomery admitted after the game that he considered pulling Ullmark in favor of backup Jeremy Swayman, and also hinted that it could be the latter who gets the nod in net on Sunday.

A Vezina Trophy candidate for his spectacular record during the regular season, Ullmark hasn’t been able to replicate the performance that saw him rack up 40 wins and a goals against average below that of two. 

“I felt good throughout the game…unfortunately, I couldn’t make that extra save today,” Ullmark explained in the dressing room after. “We’ve been trying to have the mindset throughout the season of closing the series, and we specifically did it during the season. We have one more opportunity on Sunday to get it.” 

The start time for Game 7 at TD Garden has yet to be announced. Who will get the start in goal for Boston? Who should it be? 

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Paul Maurice spills beans on secret Panthers team ritual

ESPN

The Florida Panthers were able to stave off elimination, defeating the Boston Bruins in a stunning overtime Game 5 of their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series. Needless to say, it’s the 65-win Bruins who now have the pressure on them to put away the team that not many believed would even take a single game from them. 

Head coach Paul Maurice also recently related a rather interesting story about a ritual that his team has prior to overtime games, and it apparently came in handy as Matthew Tkachuk potted the game-winning tally.

“You walk in and your whole team’s naked because they’re taking off their underwear and putting on dry underwear,” said Maurice when asked to describe any unusual tram rituals he’s come across over the years. “Like, that’s kind of strange.”

Hey, whatever works right? 

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Critical update released on David Krejci

MassLive

The Boston Bruins have been without the services of veteran center David Krejci for their last three games in their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Florida Panthers, which has now lasted much longer than just about anyone could have guessed.

The two teams are headed back to FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, FLA after the Panthers were able to stun the Bruins on their home ice for the second time in the series, this time in the form of an overtime victory following a brutal turnover behind the net by goaltender Linus Ullmark. 

Krejci, who has not suited up since Game 2 last week thanks to an upper body injury, will be with the team as they travel back down south – though whether or not he actually suits up in tomorrow night’s Game 6 remains in question, according to head coach Jim Montgomery.

“Krejci is traveling with us, and has a couple more boxes to check before we can say he’s a player,” Montgomery explained. 

The Bruins did get captain Patrice Bergeron back for Game 5; he had previously missed the first four games of the series.

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Matthew Tkachuk issues bold declaration after Game 5 win

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The Florida Panthers absolutely stunned the Boston Bruins last night at TD Garden, winning a back and forth affair thanks to an ill-timed gaffe from goaltender Linus Ullmark in overtime that opened the door for scrappy and offensive minded forward Matthew Tkachuk to play the role of hero. 

His goal at 6:05 of overtime ensured that the series will head back to Florida for a Game 6. And while the Bruins are still the favored team after having won 65 games during the regular season, they’re finding out the hard way what the 62-win Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019 found out against the Columbus Blue Jackets that there’s absolutely nothing guaranteed in the postseason based on regular season accolades.

And if the bold declaration from Tkachuk in the dressing room afterward holds true, there could be a winner-take-all Game 7 that would take place on Sunday back in Boston. 

“Boys, remember this room,” Tkachuk said, per a clip shared by the Panthers. “We’ll be back here for (Game) 7.”

The Panthers have every right to feel confident right now, having stolen two games on Boston’s home ice where the Bruins losing a game during the 2022-23 season was about as rare as a solar eclipse. And with that seed of doubt being planted in the minds of Bruins players and fans, there’s no telling where it could lead. 

That’s why the NHL is unique as opposed to the NBA, where lower seeded teams almost never upset the betting favorites. In hockey, just as the mantra goes – get in and you have a chance. Not many expected the Panthers to win even a single game in this series, but that’s why you play! Can the Panthers force a deciding Game 7? 

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Brawl between Bruins and Panthers fans caught on video!

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As it usually always does during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the animosity is rising on the ice. We’ve seen plenty of heated moments so far in Round 1, notably in the Tampa Bay Lightning-Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins-Florida Panthers series. 

Sunday afternoon at FLA Live Arena got absolutely crazy in the third period, with multiple on-ice confrontations, even involving goaltender Linus Ullmark and notorious pest Matthew Tkachuk.

But as it sometimes happens at professional sporting events, the animosity on the playing field between the two teams spills over into the crowd. A fan in attendance caught an altercation in the stands with what appeared to be a rather boisterous Bruins fan going at it with a group of Panthers fans: 

Another closer angle of the fight: 

This fan fight was certainly a bit more tame than some of the all-out brawls that we’ve seen at various sporting events over the years, but nonetheless, there certainly were more than a few people in trouble! 

The Bruins would win the game in dominating fashion, scoring six times in the 6-2 victory and giving themselves a commanding 3-1 lead over the Panthers heading back to Boston for Game 5 on Wednesday.

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Tkachuk goes after Ullmark and all hell breaks loose in Game 4!

The Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers are not done with their first round Stanley Cup playoff series just yet, and facing elimination the Florida Panthers attempted to send a message late in the third period of Game 4.

All hell broke loose when Panthers agitator Matthew Tkachuk invaded the Bruins crease and drew the ire of Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark, eventually leading to a dogpile on Tkachuk and then a larger brawl between the Panthers and the Bruins on the ice as neither team was willing to give ground.

Tkachuk would attempt to get at Ullmark during all of the chaos and the Bruins goaltender appeared eager to throw fists with the Panthers forward, but the National Hockey League officials on the ice were having none of it.

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Sam Bennett hits a downed Garnet Hathaway in the nether region.

A controversial incident at the end of the first period of Game 4 between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers on Sunday afternoon may have become even more controversial thanks to a sharp-eyed fan.

During the first period of today’s game, Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk delivered a cross-check to the back of Bruins forward Garnet Hathaway after the first period had just come to an end.

What everyone seems to have missed however was an extra cheap shot courtesy of Panthers forward Sam Bennett, everyone except a fan that identifies themselves simply as ‘Dale’ on social media. Dale noticed that while Hathaway was down on the ice, Bennett skated over and used the opportunity to give Hathaway a little something extra by giving him a cup check with his stick.

If you pay attention closely, there’s absolutely no doubt about the fact that Bennett hits Hathaway in the groin, and does so quite deliberately as well.

It comes as even less of a surprise now that Hathaway needed a few moments to gather himself before eventually rising back to his feat at the end of the first period.

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Garnet Hathaway injured by cross-check from Matthew Tkachuk Game 4.

Boston Bruins forward Garnet Hathaway appears to have been injured in the first period of Game 4 between the Bruins and Florida Panthers, and the Bruins aren’t going to be happy about this one.

Hathaway went down, and stayed down, after a cross-check from Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk struck him in the back where he has very little protection. A scrum ensued around Hathaway and players pushed and shoved, but as all of this went down, Hathaway remained flat on the ice.

Tkachuk was awarded a 2 minute penalty on the play, but that will be little consolation for the Bruins if Hathaway is unable to continue in this contest.

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NHL Player Safety comes down on Matthew Tkachuk after Game 4.

The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety(DOPS) has come down on Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, and I suspect he’s not going to be too happy about it.

On Monday, the DOPS announced that Tkachuk would be fined $5,0000, the maximum allowable amount under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, for a cross-check he delivered to Boston Bruins forward Garnet Hathaway.

The cross-check was fairly egregious with Tkachuk striking Hathaway from behind, striking him in an unprotected area of his lower back, and doing so after the final horn had sounded for the end of the first period. I suspect that a combination of all of these factors are why the league felt additional discipline was warranted in this instance.

Tkachuk was awarded a 2 minute minor penalty at the time of the incident and he wasn’t happy about that to begin with, indicating during an interview that he felt Hathaway had taken a dive on the play.

“It’s kinda one of those pretty chippy games.” said Tkachuk. “If you get cross-checked go down, try to draw a penalty. It seems that’s the way this game is kinda going.”

He likely will be even less happy now that he has been fined for the same incident.

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Bruins release projected lineup for critical Game 3

NHL.com

The Boston Bruins were punched in the mouth by the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night, and they had no response. The Panthers, who played the Bruins hard in Game 1 of their Round 1 postseason series despite a 3-1 setback, dominated Game 2 and tied up the series with a convincing 6-3 win. 

The two teams have since shifted locations, as they’re now in Florida for Games 3 and 4 that will be played at FLA Live Arena. The Bruins have already announced that captain Patrice Bergeron will not be suiting up for either contest, though there’s a chance he could be back for Game 5 back at Boston’s TD Garden. Meanwhile, goaltender Linus Ullmark is said to be a game-time decision. 

“Ullmark is a game-time decision and Bergeron did not make the trip,” head coach Jim Montgomery confirmed Friday morning.

Meanwhile, it will be Jakub Lauko replacing Nick Foligno up front, while Matt Grzelcyk replace Connor Clifton on the blue line.

“We couldn’t come to a consensus,” Montgomery explained when discussing lineup changes for Game 3. “So you know how they do the lotto balls, how they come out? We just spit them out and I like how they came out. There’s a method to how we think the lines will help us for tonight.”

Take a look at tonight’s projected line combinations for the critical Game 3 matchup:

Forwards 

Brad Marchand-Charlie Coyle-Trent Frederic

Tyler Bertuzzi-Pavel Zacha-David Pastrnak

Taylor Hall-David Krejci-Jake DeBrusk

Jakub Lauko–Tomas Nosek–Garnet Hathaway

Defensemen

Matt Grzelcyk-Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm-Brandon Carlo

Derek Forbort-Dmitry Orlov

Tonight’s game will officially get underway starting at 7:30 PM EST.