Bruins retake home ice with Game 3 win Panthers offer late resistance, but too little

In Sunrise, the visiting Boston Bruins built a 4-0 lead over the Panthers  into the third period on Friday, and then hung on for a 4-2 win in Game 3. The decision gives the Bruins a 2-1 series lead over the Panthers.

Game 4 is on Sunday in Sunrise.

“We saw Boston Bruins hockey today,” coach Jim Montgomery said. “Whether ‘Bergy’ and ‘Krech ‘were playing, we needed everybody to start playing. We had some passengers (in a 6-3 loss in Game 2). Tonight, we didn’t have any passengers.”

Taylor Hall staked the Bruins to a 1-0 lead at 2:26 of the opening stanza.

“It was good to get off to a nice start as an individual and as a team,” Hall said. “I thought we were dialed in right from the start of the game.”

Charlie Coyle extended the advantage to 2-0 at 6:00 of the middle frame.

David Pastrnak and Nick Foligno scored three minutes apart in the third.

Pastrnak scored at 8:32 for a 3-1 lead, and Foligno scored at 11:45 for a 4-0 bulge.

Florida tried to rally, and make of game it late.

Gustav Forsling got the Panthers on the board with a shorthanded goal to make it, 4-1.

“I thought what set the tone was Charlie McAvoy laying a big hit in the first shift (on Eetu Luostarinen) and that was kind of a telltale sign of the night and how hard we were gonna play,” Hall said. “And the first period, whether your score or not, you want to dictate play and you want to play Bruins hockey; I thought we did that. ”

Sam Reinhart scored 78 seconds later for a 4-2 count in favor of Boston.

“They played a solid game,” Reinhart said. “There wasn’t much out there for us. We were able to try and salvage something late, but they played a solid game. So, you’ve got to learn from it and move on.”

That was all the offense the Panthers could muster in a disappointing return home.

FOCOAlex Lyon got the the start for the Panthers, he yielded three goals and made 23 saves before getting the hook in the third period.’

“It had nothing really to do with (Lyon),” Florida coach Paul Maurice said about pulling his starting goalie. “He’s played heavy-pressure games and a lot of them. And at 3-0, in my mind, if we mount a comeback, it’s not because our goalie stands on his head. We’ve got to get some action going.

“And I’ve got another goalie — who’s a really, really good goalie — that hasn’t played in a long time. There’s a risk, right? You put a guy in who’s been sitting for a while, but he needs a little bit of action. That’s all that was. It was not a critique of Alex’s game.”

Sergei Bobrovsky made eight saves in relief.