If one were to create a video of Game 5, Round 2 – Bruins v Panthers, a likely music soundtrack behind the play would be the Bee Gees’ classic “Stayin’ Alive.” The Bruins needed a gargantuan effort to stave off elimination, and they got enough of a facsimile with huge goals from Morgan Geekie and Charlie McAvoy to extract a 2-1 win, and the opportunity to play a Game 6 in Boston on Friday. Now, they are able to put the golf clubs back in the garage, and reschedule any tee times until after Game 7. Another factor for the win came on the strength of Jeremy Swayman (28 saves), who turned in yet another stellar performance in the Boston net, something he has done repeatedly throughout this 2024 Stanley Cup Series. Thanks to the locals’ strong play at both ends of the ice, and their constant pressure on Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, it was a game that earned them a chance to even up the series in Game 6 on TD Garden ice, and the chance to create a decisive Game 7 opportunity, to be played at the Panthers’ Amerant Bank Arena.
Still without their captain (Brad Marchand) to steer the ship, things started looking up for the B’s early in the first period, when Jake DeBrusk picked up the puck behind the net, and fed a direct pass to Morgan Geekie, who found the back of the net at 4:49. Geekie (4) had been moved up to the first line between David Pastrnak and DeBrusk, and they played well as a unit. In the second period, Florida’s Sam Reinhart potted his fifth goal of the playoffs unassisted, as he picked up an errant pass and tied the game at 1-1. The excitement for Boston fans reached a crescendo, when McAvoy jumped off the bench and hit the ice to take a Charlie Coyle pass in perfect position to put a wrist shot behind Bobrovsky at 10:25 to give the B’s a much needed 2-1 lead. The goal had been challenged by P>anthers coach Paul Maurice, and following review, it was confirmed, a ‘good goal.’ For McAvoy, it was his first goal of the series, and also seemed to bolster his energy in his 23+ minutes of ice time, which earned him a two-point night, as he also assisted on Geekie’s first period goal.
There were many plusses for Boston in Game 5, including four solid power play kills, creating a dozen first period shots, to go along with their 21 blocked shots in the game. The noise at TD Garden reached Richter-scale proportions in the final period when Bobrovsky was pulled from the net with 3:05 left in the game. Swayman stood tall as he faced a barrage of shots, fending each one off to maintain the Bruins’ one-goal lead. Though most of them were highlight reel stops by ‘Sway,’ the one that was the most crucial was his stop on Reinhart with just seconds remaining, as he turned Reinhart’s point-blank show away to preserve the win. Now it all comes down to the results of this Friday’s Game 6 at home, and if the Bruins win again, it will get the schedule to an anything can happen Game 7 on Sunday in Florida. The possible return of Marchand to the lineup would certainly give Boston an emotional lift, and combining that with an overdue Pastrnak-like game from #88 (David), we can all agree, that anything is possible in a Game 7, of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!