Thanks to a huge third period, the Florida Panthers knocked off the Boston Bruins on Wednesday to even up their best-of-seven first-round playoff series at a game apiece.
Winning by a 6-3 score, the Panthers became the first road team to score five or more goals on TD Garden ice this season.
Florida seems to have Boston’s number on the offensive side, posting their third game scoring four goals or more against the Bruins, twice as many as any other NHL team during the 2022-23 campaign.
The Panthers and Bruins were knotted up 2-2 after one period on Wednesday, a score that stood heading into the third. However, in the final frame, the Panthers’ offense exploded for four straight goals, helping them cruise to the Game 2 win.
Defenseman Brandon Montour kicked off the scoring in the third, tallying a goal 22 seconds into the period before adding a second goal at 12:30. Meanwhile, forwards Carter Verhaeghe and Eetu Luostarinen also recorded goals in the flurry.
According to the NHL’s PR department, Montour’s first goal set the Panthers’ franchise record for the fastest goal scored to start a period, topping the previous mark of 23 seconds held by Jonathan Huberdeau (2020) and Stephen Weiss (2012).
Sean Bennett and Eric Staal were the other goal scorers for Florida on Wednesday, while Brad Marchand (2), Todd Bertuzzi and Taylor Hall lit the lamp for Boston.
Even though the Panthers’ offense pulled its weight, netminder Alex Lyon took care of things on the other end. Lyon turned away 34 of 37 Bruins’ shots, earning the victory between the pipes.
The series shifts to Sunrise, Florida, for the next two games. The Panthers will look to take a stunning 2-1 lead when the two clubs do battle for Game 3 Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST.
