If Florida is going to upset the Bruins, they can't be playing catch-up
The first two games of the Stanley Cup Playoff series between the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins have been very evenly matched.
The division rivals have traded opportunities and managed each other’s zone time fairly well through the majority of the six periods they’ve played.
It certainly hasn’t felt like a matchup of teams that were separated by 43 points in the standings.
Things have only tilted in one club’s favor after someone began pulling ahead late in the game.
“There’s 20 minutes left on the clock and the other team feels they have to open their game up,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice.
During Game 1, that was Florida. Despite playing behind most of the game, the Cats were strong and tight in their systems, but that changed when Jake DeBrusk scored to give Boston a 3-1 lead late in the second period.
After that, the Panthers began taking more chances with their game, which allowed the Bruins to sit back and wait for Florida to come to them, playing right into Boston’s hands.
Two nights later, the skate was on the other foot.
With Game 2 tied after forty minutes, it was a goal by Brandon Montour during the opening minute of the third that shifted things in Florida’s favor.
“The big four-on-four goal by Monty started us off,” said Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk. “It was nice to play with a little bit of the lead.”
Florida took off from there, as this time it was the Bruins who tried to force more on the offensive side. That led to uncharacteristic giveaways by the home team, some of which ended up in the back of their net.
What’s clear after watching the first two games of this series is that playing with the lead is crucial to the success of either club.
This isn’t going to be one of those dramatic comeback series’ with multi-goal leads evaporating like water in the South Florida sunshine.
Odds are, whoever is ahead in the third period is going to come out on top.
During the regular season, Boston was the best in the business when playing with a lead. They were 36-1-1 when leading after one period and 47-1-2 when ahead after two.
Florida wasn’t quite as strong as the Bruins in that area, but going 32-2-3 when holding a lead after 40 minutes is nothing to sneeze at.
Combine that with the Panthers looking as strong and confident in Maurice’s playoff-style systems as they have all year, and it’s apparent why this is far from a typical one-seed vs. eight-seed matchup.
Still, Florida is well aware of the skill and talent they are up against.
Boston didn’t set NHL records for wins and points on a fluke.
“They are such a quality opponent and they're just so dangerous all the time, you can't take anything for granted in these series and we can't feel too good about ourselves,” said Panthers goaltender Alex Lyon. “We just have to continue to stay on the right track, mentally and physically, and let the results speak for themselves.”