A Chance For Redemption - Bruins Panthers Second Round Playoff Preview

After an exhilarating Game 7 OT win against the Leafs on Saturday night, the B's are right back to work tonight as they take on the Panthers in Sunrise for Round No. 2. It'll be a chance at redemption, as Florida ended their season last year in what may have been the biggest choke job in Bruins history. It's a role reversal this year though, while the Bruins are riding a high they are coming in as the underdogs against a pesky Panthers team who finished 1st in the division. Let's get into it…

BOSTON OFFENSE:

Zacha - Geekie - Pastrnak

Van Riemsdyk - Frederic - Brazeau

Beecher - Brown - Maroon

Extras: Lauko, Boqvist

Flat out, the Bruins need more offense from their top two centers in Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha. Geekie has slid Zacha to the wing to help alleviate some of that stress down the middle. With Frederic sliding to C on the 3rd line. It paid off in Game 7 and Montgomery is going back to it for Game 1. Zacha has a whopping 0 goals in 18 career playoff games, and tallied just 2 assists in round 1. He has to get going.

Jim Montgomery challenged David Pastrnak in Game 6, and he delivered in Game 7 as the OT hero. They will need him to get off to a strong foot against Florida if they want to take down the Panthers. Danton Heinen missed Game 6 and 7 due to an upper body injury, and he'll miss Game 1 as well. He seems to be progressing, and could be an option Wednesday night. 

Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle will have their hands full with Matthew Tkachuk but I think Jake DeBrusk's play will be important in this series if he can use his speed to his advantage. I said it before and I'll say it again, this team will not go very far unless they can start to generate some offense. Like Zacha, Coyle failed to register a goal in the first round. The Leafs went cold and Swayman bailed them out, but the top six needs to start producing here in the second round and get going. I sound like a broken record, I know.

I think JVR/Frederic/Brazeau can be a line that starts to build here in the second round. Brazeau is getting his legs back after an upper body injury knocked him out late into the regular season. He's starting to turn a corner these last two games and Frederic sliding to the middle has helped as well. These guys need to support the top 6 as best they can. Bigger bodied line, and can get in behind the Panthers' D on the forecheck.

Patrick Brown was recalled on emergency basis from Providence. He'll center the 4th line in place of Jesper Boqvist, which I'm a little surprised about. But for a team struggling at the dot, this caaaan be a welcome addition but I don't love it. It does not bode well for a player like Lauko, who could've helped muck things up and draw penalties, however. We'll see where the 4th line goes from here. 

Bottom line for Boston's offense is that there cannot be any passengers in the 2nd round. Hopefully the juice from winning in OT to close out the Leafs can carry them into Game 1 tonight.

BOSTON DEFENSE:

Lindholm - Wotherspoon

Forbort - Shattenkirk

These were the pairings at morning skate but will change upon Carlo's arrival to Florida.

Brandon Carlo was a MONSTER in the first round. He did not skate this morning as his wife gave birth to a baby boy this morning! Congratulations to the Carlos and hopefully he makes it to Florida for Game 1. If Carlo doesn't arrive in time, Derek Forbort could return to the lineup after a long absence or it'll be Matt Grzlecyk back in. Extra Dad Strength loading. Welcome Crew!

Charlie McAvoy seemed to be gun shy offensively in Round 1 but he will need to eat minutes and help generate more from the back end if the Bruins want to have any success. I'm still waiting for him to rise to the occassion, Pastrnak was called out in Game 6 and became a Game 7 hero. Would love for McAvoy to take over one of these games against a really deep Florida team.

Mason Lohrei elevated his game since entering the series and seems to keep getting more confident and comfortable in the lineup. He'll start tonight on McAvoy's left. He's done a really great job at transitioning out of his own zone and getting pucks up and out. He's had his legs going the last few games as well and like McAvoy, should help push and generate offense.

After struggling in the first couple games, Hampus Lindholm turned it on in Game 7, tying the game and setting up David Pastrnak in OT. He will need to continue his strong play against a really good forward core for Florida. We'll see what matchups Montgomery goes with as they start on the road. 

Andrew Peeke skated today but hasn't been cleared yet but it's a good bet to see him sometime during this series. They'll need his physicality too. With Lohrei playing this well though, we'll see who the odd man out will be.

GOALIES:

It is Jeremy Swayman's net until he falters. The Bruins flat out won their first round series because of him and his .950 save percentage and 1.60 GAA. There is no longer a rotation. He is your guy. That being said, Linus Ullmark does have good numbers against Florida this season, 3-0 record, 1.62 GAA and a .947 SV%. Swayman is the man right now, and hopefully his strong play in net can continue into the 2nd round. Now how will rest factor into this? We'll see. Swayman is about to make his 6th straight start but he looks dialed right now. If any fatigue for him kicks in, then go Ullmark.

FLORIDA OFFENSE:

Verhaeghe - Barkov - Tkachuk 

Luostarinen - Lundell - Reinhart 

Rodrigues - Stenlund - Tarasenko

Cousins - Lorentz - Okposo

Injured: Sam Bennett, Ryan Lomberg

Just like Toronto, Florida has a high powered offense and it starts down the middle. Aleksander Barkov will run away with the Selke this year, but all three of Florida's centers have done an excellent job this year. Sam Bennett is close to returning but will be out for Game 1. Anton Lundell has played well in his place but reinforcements are coming for Florida, which is a scary thought. The Panthers had six!!! 20 goal scorers (Reinhart, Tkachuk, Barkov, Verhaeghe, Tarasenko and Bennett), and four players score 70 points or more, as a team, they average about 4 goals a game. Pretty lethal.

Sam Reinhart scored 57 god damn goals this year. Seems like Carter Verhaeghe always comes up clutch for Florida, especially against Boston. Verhaeghe alone has 5 goals, 4 assists in the first round, tying Tkachuk for the team lead with 9. Florida has weapons, and it'll need to be a full team effort if Boston should advance.

Last series was Tyler Bertuzzi vs. Brad Marchand. This round? Matthew Tkachuk vs. Brad Marchand. Can Coyle's line shut down him down? They'll need to find an answer for him.

They acquired some key players at the deadline, Vladimir Tarasenko came from Ottawa, and former Buffalo Captain Kyle Okposo mainstays the 4th line. They are a DEEP lineup especially offensively but the Bruins can take advantage with Bennett (who is a shit disturber) out of the lineup. 

FLORIDA DEFENSE:

Forsling - Ekblad

Mikkola - Montour

Ekman-Larsson - Kulikov

Florida's defensive group does a great job at moving the puck up the ice. Montour seemed to be a Bruin killer last year, especially offensively. The Bruins will need to stifle their transition game, especially in the neutral zone to mitigate odd man chances. While Boston's defense group is more defensively sound, the Panthers D can generate offense from the back end up.

You could've made an argument for Gustav Forsling to be on the ballot for the Norris. He's been that good this year. I think he's criminally underrated. OEL is at the end of his career, but all in all this is a deep Florida defense compared to years past. The Bruins will have their work cut out for them.

GOALIES:

Bobrovksy, Stolarz

Sergei Bobrovsky was nominated for the Vezina this season (36-17-4 record with a .915 SV% and a 2.37 GAA), but he didn't face many shots in Round 1 vs. Tampa. Boston will need to test him early and often. Swayman has played elite, but Bob hasn't been a slouch either. While the goaltending favored the Bruins in Round 1, it gets a bit more even in Round 2. Gotta break him.

SPECIAL TEAMS, SPECIAL PLAYS, SPECIAL PLAYERS:

The Bruins' penalty killed allowed just one goal against the Leafs in 21 opportunities. However, the Panthers are clicking at a 23.1% rate in the 1st round, and were 23.5% in the regular season, good for 8th in the league. The Panthers rare 1st in the league with a 61.11 GF% at 5v5 in the playoffs. On the flip side, the Panthers and their rugged style of play, do take a good amount of penalties. B's need to capitalize on their chances should they go on the man advantage, because the Panthers are deeper 5 on 5. B's finished round 1 at 35.3% power play rate.

ODDS:

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PREDICTION:

It seems the Bruins will go as far as Jeremy Swayman takes them, but they need offense to chip in as well. The Bruins took all 4 games this season against Florida, 3 of the 4 were decided by one goal, including two in overtime but once again, just like last series you throw that out the window. I actually love that the Bruins are right back into action, bringing that adrenaline with them to Florida. The Panthers have been off for a week. They are a DEEP team, and they are goliath in this situation. But the Bruins will be extra motivated after they ended their season last year. It'll be another physical series, but if Boston can start to generate their offense anything can happen with Swayman in net. I am choosing confidence and belief in net. It's a freeing feeling when all of the pressure is on the Panthers. They have every single advantage here outside of goaltenidng. So that being said, I've convinced myself that this series will go 7 games once again. They ended our season last year, let's end theirs. B's in 7.

SCHEDULE:

• Game 1 at Florida Panthers on Monday, May 6 at 8 p.m.
• Game 2 at Florida Panthers on Wednesday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m.
• Game 3 vs. Florida Panthers on Friday, May 10 at 7 p.m.
• Game 4 vs. Florida Panthers on Sunday, May 12 at TBD
• Game 5* at Florida Panthers on Tuesday, May 14 at TBD
• Game 6* vs. Florida Panthers on Friday, May 17 at TBD
• Game 7* at Florida Panthers on Sunday, May 19 at TBD

We've got Bruins and Celtics alternating dates. What a treat.

It's a great night to win a hockey game.