The series between the Florida Panthers and the Boston Bruins was expected to be intense from the start, and after the second game, the temperature has risen dramatically. Boston’s loss in the first contest came as a major surprise, given Florida’s status as one of the favorites for this year’s Stanley Cup. The Panthers were plagued by mistakes in their own zone, and the experienced Bruins players repeatedly punished them. However, not everyone seemed to have learned the lesson. At least Brandon Montour didn’t, as he lost the puck in his zone midway through the first period, allowing Boston to execute a quick three-pass play almost on Bobrovsky’s goal crease. Charlie Coyle opened the scoring. With no alternative, Florida stepped up the pressure in the second period, and Montour redeemed himself early on. His blue-line shot-pass found an unmarked Steven Lorentz, who deflected the puck past Jeremy Swayman. Midway through the period, Florida took the lead. Swayman saved Sam Reinhart’s shot but couldn’t do anything about Aleksander Barkov’s follow-up. The third goal was even more frustrating for the visitors. With ten seconds left in the period, Swayman made a save, but the faceoff was lost, and Gustav Forsling’s blue-line blast doubled the hosts’ advantage.
The shot count in the second period was 14-6 in favor of Florida. Early in the third period, the visitors failed to clear their zone. A quick exchange between Reinhart, Barkov, and Finnish forward Eetu Luostarinen led to another goal. Swayman allowed more than two goals for the first time in these playoffs and was pulled. Linus Ullmark took over in Boston’s net. He remained perfect until midway through the third period, when the visitors made a mistake in their zone while shorthanded, allowing Barkov to score his second. A minute later, Montour scored again on a 4-on-5 power play. Florida capitalized on a 3-on-2 rush, with ample time to add another goal and set the final score. There were still eight minutes left, but what followed was less a hockey game and more an ice brawl. Fights broke out one after another, with referees constantly separating players and handing out penalties. The climax came when leaders Matthew Tkachuk and David Pastrnak engaged in a brief scuffle. In total, the teams combined for 158 penalty minutes, and 13 players received game misconducts. That set the stage for the first meeting in Boston.
Bookmakers offer the following odds for the third game of the series:
– Boston Bruins win – from 2.50 (Betcity) to 2.72 (Olimpbet)
– Florida Panthers win – from 2.35 (BetBoom, Olimpbet) to 2.50 (Betcity)
*Published by:* Maxim Sidorov
*Source:* Match Center
*Tags:* Boston, Florida, Stanley Cup, NHL, Hockey betting, Sports betting
