The Boston Bruins have fought hard in each game of this series against the Florida Panthers, but so far their efforts have been in vain. Not only are they being outplayed and dominated by their opponents, but key players are also dropping out. Brad Marchand was unable to recover for Game 4 after a heavy hit from Sam Bennett in the previous game. Boston considered the hit dirty, but the referees didn’t even call a minor penalty. Despite Marchand missing his first playoff game in 156 consecutive appearances, the Bruins had home-ice advantage and the crowd trying to energize them. However, after the physical battles in Game 2, every contest has become intensely personal. Both teams created dangerous chances right from the opening minutes. Florida’s defenders left the puck in their own zone for a Boston forward, forcing Sergei Bobrovsky to make a save. Immediately after, Vladimir Tarasenko had a breakaway, but Jeremy Swayman made a split-leg stop. Penalties quickly followed—Florida failed to capitalize on the power play, but Boston succeeded after Aaron Ekblad was sent to the penalty box. Jake DeBrusk set up David Pastrnak for a powerful one-timer that beat Bobrovsky.
Just over six minutes later, Brandon Carlo doubled Boston’s lead. Another breakdown in Florida’s defensive zone handed the puck to the home defenseman. Such mistakes can be costly against strong opponents. Nevertheless, Florida head coach Paul Maurice stated that he liked how his team was playing—they were controlling the flow of the game. Goals against Swayman followed soon after. The first came off a mistake by the goaltender, who allowed a short-side goal to Anton Lundell. For the young Finnish forward, this was his first career playoff goal. Early in the third period, Sam Bennett scored on the power play to tie the game. Jim Montgomery challenged for goaltender interference, but it was unsuccessful. Alexander Barkov netted the game-winner midway through the third period. The shot total in that game was 41–18 in favor of Florida, and Game 5 could be the last of this series.
Odds:
Florida Panthers win: from 1.79 (BetBoom) to 1.86 (Betsiti)
Boston Bruins win: from 3.70 (Betsiti) to 3.85 (Pari)
