The Florida Panthers already took care of business in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, beating their in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
Next up?
“Probably our next biggest rival,” star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said.
That’s right. Florida’s second-round opponent in the playoffs is the Boston Bruins.
The series begins Monday at Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game televised on ESPN.
Beyond that, the Panthers will host Games 2, 5 (if necessary) and 7 (if necessary). The Bruins will host Games 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary).
Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.
How did the Panthers and Bruins advance from the first round of the playoffs?
The Panthers beat the Lightning in five games, going up 3-0 in the series before dropping Game 4 in Tampa and then pulling out a series-clinching 6-1 win in Game 5 on Monday.
The Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games. Boston and Toronto split the first two games in Boston before the Bruins won Games 3 and 4 in Toronto to take a 3-1 series lead. Boston dropped Game 5 in Boston in overtime and Game 6 in Toronto before clinching the series with a 2-1 overtime win in Game 7 on Saturday.
How did the Panthers and Bruins fare in their playoff series last year?
The first-round matchup between the Panthers and Bruins last year was a series between arguably the best regular-season team in NHL history (the Bruins) and the team that was the last to qualify for the playoffs (the Panthers).
The Bruins and Panthers split the first two games of the series in Boston. The Bruins then won back-to-back games in Sunrise to take a 3-1 lead in the series before Florida stormed back to win each of the final three games to take the series, with Carter Verhaeghe clinching the series with an overtime goal in Game 7.
How did the regular-season series between the Panthers and Bruins unfold?
The Bruins won all four games in the regular-season series by scores of 3-2 in overtime on Oct. 30 in Boston, 3-1 on Nov. 22 in Sunrise, 4-3 on March 26 in Sunrise and 3-2 in overtime on April 6 in Boston.
Who are the players to watch from the Florida Panthers?
▪ Carter Verhaeghe: Verhaeghe scored a team-high five goals in the first-round series against Tampa Bay and has 41 career playoff points (20 goals, 21 assists) in his Panthers tenure.
▪ Matthew Tkachuk: Tkachuk matched Verhaeghe with a team-high nine points in the Lightning series and paced the team with six assists.
▪ Sergei Bobrovsky: Bobrovsky, named a Vezina Trophy finalist on Monday, posted a .929 save percentage at five-on-five play against the Lightning, giving up just seven goals on 99 shots against when the game was at full strength.
Who are the players to watch from the Boston Bruins?
▪ Brad Marchand: The 15-year NHL veteran paced the Bruins with eight points (three goals, five assists) in the series against Toronto.
▪ David Pastrnak: Pastrnak led the Bruins with 110 points (47 goals, 63 assists) in the regular season and has three goals and two assists so far in the postseason — including the overtime game-winner in Game 7.
▪ Jeremy Swayman: The Bruins’ goalie went 4-2 in the six games he started against Toronto, giving up just nine goals while in net.
Who would the winner of the Panthers-Bruins matchup face in the Eastern Conference Final?
The winner of the Panthers-Bruins series would face the winner of New York Rangers-Carolina Hurricanes second-round matchup in the Eastern Conference Final.
