Florida Panthers center Evan Rodrigues (17) looks on against the Boston Bruins during the first period in game two of the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Panthers dominate Bruins to even series

By Paul Harris | Last updated 5/8/24

After a slow start in the series and in the first period Wednesday night, the Florida Panthers got back to their team personality: Skilled, fast and physical.

The Panthers evened their Eastern Conference second-round series at one game each with a 6-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

The Bruins won Game 1, 5-1 on Monday night.

The series shifts to Boston for Friday's game at TD Garden at 7 p.m.

Florida scored six unanswered goals Wednesday after being down 1-0 at the first intermission.

The Panthers had a 33-16 shots advantage and held the Bruins without one for over 15 minutes from late in the second period into the third.

Florida set a team playoff record for a game with 76 hits.

Captain Aleksander Barkov led the way with two goals and two assists and defenseman Brandon Montour added a goal and two assists.

Steven Lorentz tipped in a shot by Montour to tie the game 1-1 for the Panthers, 1:56 into the second period.

Lorentz's grandfather, Jim Lorentz, played in the NHL with Boston, the St. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres from 1968-69 to 1977-78.

Barkov put in a rebound to give Florida a 2-1 lead 9:49 into the middle period.

Defenseman Gustav Forsling's goal with less than a second left in the second made it 3-1. He blasted a one-time slapshot past screened Bruins' goalie Jeremy Swayman. It was the first time Swayman had allowed up three goals in a game during the playoffs.

Eetu Luostarinen made it 4-1, 1:28 into the third period.

Boston pulled Swayman after that goal and replaced him with Linus Ullmark.

Barkov's second goal came on the power play with 9:08 left.

Montour added a shorthanded goal with 8:02 remaining.

A LOT GOIN ON pic.twitter.com/0oWrIBAJFE
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) May 9, 2024

Charlie Coyle's goal with 7:48 left in the first period gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead.

Brad Marchand created a turnover along the boards and jumped over Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola in setting up the tall, as Coyle put a cross-crease pass from Pavel Zacha into an empty net.

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