Bruins Daily: Panthers Bite Back; Bergeron Injury

Thanks to some really sloppy, stubborn play, the Boston Bruins lost 6-3 to the Florida Panthers in Game 2.

The series now heads back to Florida tied 1-1.

That and more in your BHN Bruins Daily:

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins laid maybe their biggest dud of the season at the most inopportune time. For most of Game 2 in their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series against the Florida Panthers, the Boston Bruins defined the word insanity in Albert Einstein’s terms:

“Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

The Bruins failed to smoothly transition the puck up ice throughout much of the game. They had 15 turnovers and allowed six goals to a Panthers team they held to just a goal in a 3-1 Game 1 win. The result was a 6-3 Panthers win that knotted this series up at one game apiece. Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery indicated that there could be lineup changes for Game 3.

The series heads to Sunrise, Florida, for Game 3 on Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET) and a Sunday matinee at FLA Arena at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Once again, Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron was absent from the Bruins lineup. Montgomery confirmed that an injury, not an illness, was keeping Brgeron out for his second-straight games and what’s now been eight straight periods of hockey. At this time, there is no timetable for Bergeron to return.

One of the newest Boston Bruins, Tyler Bertuzzi, has had a splendid start to his Stanley Cup Playoffs career. In his first game playing for the best trophy in sports in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Bertuzzi helped set up two goals, and in Game 2, Bertuzzi scored his first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff goal. However, Bruins veteran winger and longtime NHL pest Brad Marchand loves Bertuzzi’s game for a different reason.

Florida Panthers

Here’s the much more positive perspective from the side of the Florida Panthers and our mates from Florida Hockey Now.

As predicted by our colleague Colby Guy, the return of Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett had a huge effect on the Panthers’ lineup.