NHL Playoffs: Panthers Upset Bruins in Overtime to Advance to the Second Round

The Florida Panthers have completed an upset for the ages, eliminating the Boston Bruins in Game 7 to advance to the second round of the NHL playoffs.

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You can absolutely call it a comeback.

The Florida Panthers put the finishing touches on arguably the biggest upset in NHL history on Sunday night, defeating the Boston Bruins in overtime to punch their ticket to the second round of playoffs.

It truly is hard to overstate just how big of an upset this really is.

Not only did the Bruins string together the most successful regular season of all-time, collecting an NHL record of 65 wins and finishing a whopping 47 points ahead of their first-round opponent, but they also happened to lead this series 3-1 not too long ago before the Panthers eventually staged their comeback.

It all began in Game 5, as the Panthers avenged a staggering 6-2 defeat in the previous contest to push the Bruins to overtime, with Matthew Tkachuk leading the way once again to pot the winner and keep his club's season alive.

Game 6 then featured one of the most chaotic finishes in recent memory, with a flurry of goals and lead changes filling the third period before the Panthers finally managed to hold off their opponent by a score of 7-5.

And then, finally, came Game 7, which featured all the drama one could have hoped for.

It seemed as if a Bruins victory was inevitable when they secured a 3-2 lead midway through the third period. But the Panthers refused to go away, throwing everything they could at the Bruins' net and somehow tying things up in the final minute of regulation on a well-placed shot from Brandon Montour to set the stage for Carter Verhaeghe's eventual winner in the extra frame.

The Panthers will now face the Maple Leafs in the second round, which is expected to likely kick off in Toronto on Tuesday, according to Sportsnet.

And, as for the Bruins, they must now grapple with the aftermath of a record-setting season ending in disaster.

One player to keep an eye on is Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, who hugged each of his teammates as they left the ice, including an emotional one with Brad Marchand.

He also saluted the crowd, leading hockey fans to wonder if this was it for the 37-year-old in a Bruins jersey and maybe the NHL entirely. If so, it certainly was not the ending he would have wanted.