In Sunrise, the Boston Bruins looked to take a 2-0 series lead home with them on Friday night. 
Well, hope all you want, it didn’t happen.
Leading 1-0 after the opening stanza, the Panthers hit for three goals in the middle frame and three more in the third period for a 6-1 thrashing of the Bruins in Game 2 of their second round Stanley Cup Playoff series.
Aleksander Barkov hit fore a double and four points in the win.
“Overall, we did what we wanted to do,” Barkov said. “They got the lead in the first period, but we didn’t change a thing. We just kept playing our game, going hard and to the net. That is what we did the whole game.”
Sergei Bobrovsky bounced back from a mediocre effort in the Game 1 loss to the Bruins, and made 15 saves in the win.
Charlie Coyle was the lone striker for the Bruins, his first period goal at 12:12 staked th3e Bruins to a 1-0 lead they held going into the middle frame.
“I liked our start to the game and I thought we were fine in the second until they scored, and then things went the other way,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “Florida executed better than us tonight. The last game (a 5-1 win on Monday), we executed. It’s a long series. We got the one game we needed to get in Florida, and now we move back to Boston.”
The Panthers came out as if they had gotten a message conveyed by coach Paul Maurice in the intermission.
“We spent some time talking about the last game, and I really liked the way we came out, our style of play,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “I thought the last seven minutes of the first into the second, that is the way we’re supposed to look.”
Steven Lorentz opened the3 scoring in the period for the Panthers at 1:56, he scored off a deflection of a shot by Brandon Montour from the right point.
“This was a great bounce back for our team,” Lorentz said. “I don’t know if the week off hurt us, [but we] really didn’t get into our game in the first one. We knew we needed to respond. … We were just chipping away. Once we got the first one, we kind of got the ball rolling.”
Barkov potted his first of the night at 9:49, scoring off a rebound for a 2-1 lead to the Panthers.
With two seconds left in the frame, Gustav Forsling pushed the lead out to 3-1, scoring off a shot from the left point through a maze of bodies and sticks.
“Obviously, a huge, huge goal,” Barkov said. “We felt a lot more comfortable going into the third after that.”
Game 3 is set for Boston on Friday, despite the loss, the Bruins still hold home ice winning Game 1.
In the third period, the Panthers piled on, and ran the table as they did in the second period.
Eetu Luostarinen stretched the advantage to 4-1 at 1:28, scoring off a set of passes by Sam Reinhart and Barkov for an easy tip in.
Barkov collected his double off the power play midway through the third for a 5-1 lead. The goal resulted from a Bruins turnover in their own zone.
Montour o=iced the game with a shorthanded strike at 11:58 for the 6-1 final count on the scoreboard.
“Two games are done,” Boston forward David Pastrnak said. “We stole one and we’re going back home. We need to focus on Game 3. … We were very much in the game going into the third. I think the fourth goal took a lot out of us. We wanted the next one, did not get it and did not recover. It was one of those games. We have to have short memories in the playoffs.”
Jeremy Swayman got the start for the Bruins, he was given the hook in the third period after the Luostarinen goal. He made 19 saves.
Linus Ullmark made eight saves in a mop up role.

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