The Boston Bruins did not make history by becoming the first team to blow a 3-1 series lead in back-to-back years. Instead, they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime (2-1) and advanced to the second round. There are certain players they can thank for this, and one of them is David Pastrnak. After being called out after Game 6 by his head coach, Jim Montgomery, he responded in a big way by scoring the game-winning goal. Upon the conclusion of the game, Pastrnak said this regarding the call out,
“I told him, ‘If I were the coach and you were the player, I’d say the same thing. I needed to be better.”
It’s safe to say he will need to be better going forward because their next opponent is a rematch from last season. The Bruins have the opportunity to avenge last season’s heartbreaking defeat against the pesky Florida Panthers. The Panthers, meanwhile, made quick work of the Tampa Bay Lightning, defeating them in five games.
This is going to be a great series between these two teams, who also do not like one another. As Game 1 begins Monday night in Sunrise, Florida, let’s see how these two teams stack up against one another.
Five-on-Five Play
When the game is played at five-on-five, the Panthers are the superior team. In fact, they were one of the best teams in this regard. The Panthers have tremendous depth, play with structured defense, and forecheck hard. For the Bruins’ offense, they are going to have to find ways to capitalize because the Panthers do not provide much.
During the regular season, the Panthers allowed the second fewest shot attempts (3,353) and the second-fewest shots on goal. Shot suppression was key for them, and the Bruins, who were near the bottom in shots on goal and shot attempts, will need to be much better. One glaring note is that the Panthers allowed the fewest goals at five-on-five play, which is a testament to how good they are in this area of play. For the playoffs, the margins are much closer.
Related: 3 Key Pieces That Got the Bruins to the 2nd Round
Both teams finished with a Corsi for percentage (CF%) under 50%, but the Bruins series was much more open than the Panthers series. The Bruins were much superior in shot attempts and even generated the second most expected goals (14.99) but scored below their expected rate. In contrast, the Panthers capitalized on their chances and scored above it. Goaltending smothered the Bruins later in the series, whereas the Panthers were able to solve…
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