Down 1-0 to Boston, Panthers remain confident heading into Game 2

Florida will look to replicate the effort from the first half of Game 1 while capitalizing on their zone time

Looking back at the Florida Panthers series opening loss to the Boston Bruins, it appears to come down to a tale of two games.

During the first 35ish minutes, the Panthers were playing a relentless and frustrating brand of hockey, limiting one of the top offensive teams in the NHL to just a handful of even-strength shots on goal.

Boston’s best opportunities came off Florida miscues, whether it be an attempt at a big hit in the neutral zone or simply a bad bounce on a puck in transition.

What wasn’t happening was the Bruins rolling over the Panthers as they had against the majority of the league this season.

Florida limited Boston’s high-danger chances while generating plenty of possession time in the Bruins’ end of the ice.

If the Panthers can figure out how to capitalize on a few more of those scoring looks, they’re feeling quite good about their prospects in the series.

“We have to do more with the time that we did spend there, with the traffic we got to the net, with pucks that we got to the net,” Maurice said. “We can do some things differently in terms of how we position for the shot and then what we do after.”

Florida did outshoot the Bruins 32-29 during Game 1, and the Panthers held the edge in 5-on-5 high-danger chances 15 to 9.

Florida also had better possession numbers during the first and second periods and held a higher expected goals-for in each of the game’s three periods, according to Natural Stat Trick.

They did a good job keeping the puck and maintaining it in Boston’s end of the ice. Now Florida must find a way to translate those hard working shifts into goals.

“What we've got to get better at is playoff offense,” Maurice said. “We had the zone time, and we had some traffic, but we're off the net a little bit too much. We didn't make as much out of our chances around the net as they did.”

LINEUP NOTES

Sam Bennett is getting closer to a potential return to the Panthers lineup, but Game 2 may be a bit too soon.

Bennett skated in each of the past four days and if there are no setbacks, could be joining the Panthers for a full workout sooner rather than later.

Maurice said Bennett will skate again on Wednesday, and if things continue on their current path, “we’ll start making decisions.”

In goal, Maurice wouldn’t reveal his starting tendy when asked about it on Tuesday, but he did give Alex Lyon’s performance in Game 1 a ringing endorsement.

“I thought he was fantastic,” Maurice said.

As for the forward lines, we’ll see if any wingers get moved around in order to spark Florida’s offense a bit.

The top line of Sasha Barkov centering Carter Verhaeghe and Anthony Duclair was a bit lacking during Game 1, and the Panthers need their captain firing on all cylinders if they’re going to take down the Bruins.

Perhaps Duclair will be swapped with Sam Reinhart.

It’s unlikely Florida would go an entire game with Barkov skating on a line with Matthew Tkachuk, as Maurice has said he generally likes to keep them on separate lines to spread out Florida’s depth.

AM UPDATE: 

Turns out Bennett was closer than given credit for. 

Bennett will play in Game 2, jumping back into his usual spot on the second line. He'll be flanked by Eetu Luostarinen and Tkachuk. 

Anton Lundell returned to the third line center spot, skating between Ryan Lomberg and Reinhart, while Eric Staal skated on the fourth line with Colin White and Nick Cousins. 

Duclair and Verhaeghe remained on the top unit with Barkov. 

In goal, The Lyon King will roar once again. 

Maurice commended Lyon's Game 1 performance when asked about sticking with the veteran goaltender as his starter. 

"He was just too good in that game," Maurice said. "All three of those 2-on-1s, he made saves on, Boston got the puck to the net on great scoring chances. He's looks exactly the way he's looked really for the last two or three weeks. 

"After the second goal (during Game 1), he was outstanding. He didn't show any signs of being overwhelmed or losing confidence because of the goal, and you need that. Mistakes will be made, and you've got to bounce back and get right on your horse. I thought that was a great piece of leadership, so I wanted to make sure I showed the faith in him tonight."

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Anton Lundell on improving from Game 1: "There are small things we can do better, maybe play a bit more with the puck, we don't have to give it away too much, and just overall keep going. We got some good chances, but even more, trying to get pucks to the net and get the guys there."

Brandon Montour on the challenge Boston presents: "They're a smart team. They've got skill up and down the lineup and they make plays in their own end, their D like to get up there. We’ve just need a little smarter game on our side."

Paul Maurice on the intensity of playoff hockey: "Every shift, every back check, every faceoff can be the deciding moment in a game, and that's the difference. You get into a game in February, and it doesn't have the same meat on the bone, there's not the same cost."

Montour on facing Linus Ullmark: "We've got to find a way to get in this goalie's eyes, make it tougher on him."