Matthew Tkachuk has four goals in his last three games after scoring twice for Florida in Game 6
The Florida Panthers knew they’d have to do something that had only been done once all season if they were going to force a win-or-go-home seventh game in their opening-round series against the Boston Bruins.
They would have to beat Boston in back-to-back games.
Florida did just that, coming out on top of a bonkers, back-and-forth marathon of a sixty-minute game to keep their season alive.
While the Panthers' stars shined brightly in this one, it was a top-to-bottom effort that helped Florida get past the Presidents’ Trophy winners.
Matthew Tkachuk, the overtime hero from Game 5, scored twice, Sasha Barkov added a goal and an assist, and Eetu Luostarinen rifled home the game-winning goal with 5:38 to go for the Cardiac Cats.
After dropping consecutive games at home and trailing in the best-of-7 series 3-1, Florida has now forced the top team in the league to play for their playoff lives.
Game 7 between the Panthers and Bruins will be Sunday at TD Garden.
Buckle up.
FIRST PERIOD
Things got chippy on the first shift of the game, when Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark stopped a Sam Bennett shot and Bennett proceeded to follow the puck to the net.
Ullmark put his blocker hand up to fend off Bennett as he arrived, the two made contact and it led to a five-on-five scrum behind the net.
The game was 19 seconds old.
About 90 seconds later Matthew Tkachuk went after the puck in the corner to Ullmark’s right and he was tripped by Charlie McAvoy, leading to the first power play of the game.
With Bennett and Orlov in the box from the initial scrum, Florida’s power play would start as a 4-on-3 edge, meaning lots of open ice.
The Panthers took advantage and held the puck in Boston’s zone throughout, until Brandon Montour got some space in the left circle and wired a shot past Ullmark to give Florida a 1-0 lead just 2:01 into the game.
It was only a few minutes later the Bruins got their first power play after Radko Gudas was called for holding Taylor Hall as he drove toward Sergei Bobrovsky’s net.
Twenty-eight seconds later the game was tied. Tyler Bertuzzi was left alone on top of Florida’s goal crease and after a couple of whacks, got the puck past Bob.
The physical play continued, with Dmitry Orlov taking a shot at Bennett behind the play that the officials waived off as Bennett complained.
A play along the boards in the neutral zone led to another Florida power play when Zac Dalple was leveled by Connor Clifton, who was called for charging.
This time the Panthers didn’t score, but once again they kept the puck in Boston’s end for the majority of the two minutes, and got a couple good looks on Ullmark, one by Tkachuk and one by Anton Lundell in the slot.
Soon after, a poor pass by Clifton was intercepted by Cousins in the neutral zone, leading him and Tkachuk on a sudden 2-on-1.
Ullmark stopped Cousins’ shot, but the rebound went right to Tkachuk who deposited the puck into the net to put Florida ahead 2-1.
During the opening twenty minutes, the Panthers outhit Boston 16-6, outshot them 12-8 and most importantly, outscored them 2-1 on the scoreboard.
Additionally, takeaways were 7-1 Florida and giveaways were 6-1 Boston.
SECOND PERIOD
The Bruins did a good job bogging Florida down in its own end during the opening minutes of the second, forcing Bobrovsky to make four saves in the first four minutes.
Constant pressure from Boston led to the inevitable Panthers penalty as Ekblad was called for hooking David Pastrnak as he drove down the slot toward Bobrovsky’s net.
It was then Pastrnak that made the Panthers pay, converting a gorgeous goal that he took between his legs and sent over Bob’s glove. Definite highlight reel material by the man they call Pasta.
As for special teams, Boston was now 2-for-2 on the power play.
Less than three minutes later the Bruins took their first lead of the game when Brandon Carlo sent a wrist shot past a screened Bobrovsky’s blocker. Or so they thought.
A Florida challenge would wipe the goal away as replay showed the puck went off Jake DeBrusk’s hand before it was taken away by Patrice Bergeron. It was subtle, but it was a hand pass. No goal.
That call would be big as the Panthers would re-take the lead just a few minutes later.
Barkov found Duclair alone in front of Ullmark, and The Duke made a couple moves before sending the puck to the far post where Barkov was waiting to slam it home. Midway through the game, Florida was up 3-2.
Three straight great shifts by the second line, the top line and then the fourth line led Boston’s Derek Forbort to taking a hooking penalty on Colin White as he drove to the net.
It was another solid power play by Florida with lots of zone time in the Bruins end, but this one would not result in a goal. Still, the Panthers power play was night and day to earlier in the series, looking much better over the past couple games.
Boston’s perfect power play (remember, they were 2-for-2) would get another crack late in the period when Bennett was called for holding with 1:58 to go.
The Bruins were credited with a couple shots, but it was as solid a penalty kill from the Panthers as they’d had all game.
Florida received a standing, towel-waiving ovation from the crowd as they took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission.
THIRD PERIOD
This was as crazy of a third period as you’ll see in an elimination playoff game.
It took less than 90 seconds for Boston to tie the game once things got started.
A loose puck found its way to Carlo, who made a nice, quick little pass to Bertuzzi in the right circle. He corralled the puck and wired it over Bobrovsky’s blocker at the 1:28 mark.
Montour was called for tripping about three minutes later, on a play where he ducked down and undercut Hampus Lindholm behind Florida’s net.
This time it took Boston 40 seconds to score, with Pastrnak taking a cross-crease pass from Bertuzzi and sending it past a flailing Bobrovsky.
Less than four minutes into the third period, Boston went from down 3-2 to up 4-3.
A Barkov turnover at the Boston blueline led to a Pastrnak breakaway, but Bobrovsky closed his 5-hole and made the big save, keeping Florida down by one with about 14 minutes to go.
This would prove to be a huge turning point.
That’s because veteran Zac Daple, the captain of Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte, tied the game with 12:39 to go.
A great shift in the Boston zone led to Luostarinen finding Dalple alone in the slot, and his shot past Ullmark brought life back into a packed FLA Live Arena.
A Lindholm delay of game penalty had the building rocking, but it would be all for not. Sort of.
Florida seemingly fell asleep as the puck found its way to their end of the ice, and DeBrusk took advantage and snuck behind the Panthers defenders, beating Bob on a breakaway to put Boston back ahead 5-4.
Just 27 seconds later, with Florida still on the power play, Tkachuk found the puck at the side of Boston’s net and jammed a shot on Ullmark. The goalie stopped it, but Tkachuk kept hacking away, eventually knocking the puck into the net.
The Panthers would keep the pressure on Boston, and the effort would pay off with just under six minutes to go.
Luostarinen sent the building into anarchy when he got loose in the left circle and fired a twisted wrister pas Ullmark to put Florida ahead 6-5.
A Reinhart empty-net goal that bounced off the boards in the Panthers’ end and angled perfectly into Boston’s untended cage was the final nail in the coffin.
GAME NOTES
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