BOSTON — The Panthers have been able to shut down the Bruins in their last two games in the Eastern Conference semifinals to take a 2-1 series lead after Friday’s 6-2 win over Boston at TD Garden. Florida didn’t have success against the Bruins in the regular season, losing all four games.
But none of that matters in the playoffs. Each team gets a clean slate and a chance to right their wrongs from the regular season. The Panthers have done that, stifling the Bruins and shutting them down from playing their game.
“I think the difference between success and failure is so small, it’s almost not measurable,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after the Panthers’ win. “There isn’t a piece that I would say, ‘clearly, we’re better at this.’ As a matter of fact, four Bruins games, were I think were our four best games in some ways, and we lost them all. But they came to play playoff hockey, and so did we. In terms of if I’m paying money this year, I would say say come to the Bruins when the Bruins and the Panthers play in the regular season. It’s heavy and fast and mean and awesome. Right?”
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The Panthers held the Bruins to just 17 shots in Friday’s loss, including eight through two periods of play. In Game 2, Boston had 15 shots, and just three in the third period. But Maurice knows well enough to not get complacent. After all, the Bruins earned a 5-1 win in Game 1 despite being outshot by the Panthers, 39-29.
Game 3 also came with tough decisions for Maurice. With Sam Bennett ready to return, the coach made the “agonizing” decision to sit Nick Cousins. And while it’s unclear if he’ll continue to go with the same lineup in Game 4 on Sunday, Maurice made it clear Bennett won’t sit as long as he’s healthy enough to play, but also doesn’t sound like someone who wants to take Kyle Okposo out of the lineup.
“(Kyle) Okposo is built for this series, specifically for the series,” Maurice said. “He’s heavy, he’s smart.”
The Bruins can even the best-of-seven-series Sunday in Game 4, and it’s likely Maurice will be anticipating a Boston team that they will have little room for error.
