With the Bruins having played playoff Game 2 yesterday (Wednesday) with the Florida Panthers, our Record readers will be receiving this information following that game, and the Bruins will either be sporting a 2-0 lead in games, or the best-of-seven series will be tied at one game apiece. The excitement of the 3-1 victory on Monday will likely be a momentum that the Bruins expected to carry over into Game 2 on Wednesday. Reflecting back on the win, the stellar play of goaltender Linus Ullmark was a big factor, add to that the fact that the team play was not really up to par, but they were still able to come out of it with two points and the win. The lack of captain Patrice Bergeron’s presence in the lineup could have been a depressing issue, but instead it appeared to be a bit of a motivating issue. Several players stepped up, most notably, Pavel Zacha who filled in admirably at the center position on the Bruins’ first line. The play of the Panthers proved to be intense at several points in the game, but it was the dominance of the Bruins’ play in the third period that proved to be the winning formula.
While Bruins coach Jim Montgomery was very vague regarding Bergeron’s possible return to the lineup on Wednesday, it appears that there is some sort of injury, not the bug illness rumored to be in the Bruins dressing room, that is limiting Bergeron’s ability to play. In any case, it is situations as this that prompted general manager to make several of the moves he initiated over the regular season, to add depth to this already solid lineup. Noticeable was the heavy play of Garnet Hathaway and the powerful hits he delivered in the Monday victory, add to that the smooth way Tyler Bertuzzi has put his stamp on this lineup with ‘heads up’ passing and smooth transitions. It is expected that Wednesday’s roster would remain the same for Boston, from goal to the defense, with maybe the only possibility being the addition of Matt Grzelcyk to the blue line defense. For the Panthers, only a speculation, a switch in goal from Alex Lyon. to veteran Sergei Bobrovsky in order to maybe shake things up, but there is always the thought coaches have, that it might hurt the journeyman goalie Lyon’s confidence as a result. It will all come down to which team is able to maintain consistency and play for the full 60 minutes, and holding in check the Panthers offense which has a plethora of scorers, along with the scoring threats of Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and 42-goal scorer Carter Verhaeghe.
Following Game 2 on Wednesday, the Bruins’ playoff schedule continues with a pair away…Game 3 tomorrow (4/21, Friday 7:30pm) in Florida, and Game 4 on Sunday (4/23) at 3:30pm. If necessary, Game 5 will have the locals returning to TD Garden ice on Wednesday (4/26), (time to be determined), and also if necessary, Game 6 will be back on Panther’s home ice on Friday (4/28), (time to be determined). Should a series-deciding Game 7 be in the works, that game would take place on Sunday (4/30) on TD Garden ice at a time yet to be determined.