In Boston, Matthew Tkachuk scored off a giveaway blue the Bruins goal line in extra time on Wednesday night to give the Florida Panthers a 4-3 win in Game 5.
The win extends the series to Game 6 in Sunrise on Saturday, with the Bruins leading, 3-2.
“Super excited. Live to fight another day,” Tkachuk said. “[Sergei Bobrovsky] makes a [heck] of a save [at the end of regulation], otherwise our season’s over, and then we go out and we’re able to score pretty early in overtime. Things happen fast in [the] playoffs, and now they’ve got to come down to Florida to play another one.”
Bobrovsky made 44 saves to get the win for the Panthers.
“Playoffs, it’s the best time to play hockey,” Bobrovsky said. “So, I enjoyed tonight, and guys helped a lot, so we [defended] really well against a really, really good team. They got good offensive guys and they played great too. We’re happy with the win.”
Anthony Duclair scored in the opening stanza to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead, they held that until the middle frame.
“We’ve been so close to elimination from January on that we’re pretty good at taking a few punches if we have to,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “I liked our overtime. I liked the way we approached it. So we learned from it, and we continue to try to stay out of the penalty box, and then get off the mat.”
Brad Marchand tied the game, 1-1, at 2:27 of the second off a power play goal.
Sam Bennett pushed the Panthers back into the lead with 68 seconds left in the middle frame for a 2-1 advantage.
“We’ve shown it all year,” Bennett said. “People were counting us out a long time ago. We’re a team that’s going to fight to the bitter end, and that’s in our nature, and we showed it again tonight.”
Boston got even at 4:33 of the third when Patrice Bergeron scored for a 2-2 tie.
“In Boston there has been [lulls in our game], that’s for sure,” coach Jim Montgomery said. “For whatever reason, we didn’t start on time. They were the better team in the first period. … We tend to make big mistakes right now. I don’t know why, the last two games at home, we don’t manage our ice or manage the puck. It’s one of the two.”
San Reinhart hit off a power play just 41 seconds later to reclaim the lead for the Panthers at 3-2.
Taylor Hall forced the extra session when he scored near the midway point of the third to tie it 3-3.
“It’s a game of inches at times,” said Bergeron. “You don’t want to give them freebies, if you will. I think that’s who we are. Our structure has always been something that gives us success, and I think learning from that and when we’re able to kind of move north-south and [in] straight lines we’re able to get the puck behind and generate a little bit more.”
Linus Ullmark made 21 saves in the loss.
“I tried to put myself in a position where he can’t bank it off me,” Ullmark said of the giveaway leading to the winner. “Unfortunately, it hits my skate and ends up in the wrong hands, and from there it was kind of a situation where I couldn’t get back into position, and he takes it by and puts it in.”
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