It’s safe to say anyone who believed the Bruins didn’t need their captain to beat the Florida Panthers can stop lying to themselves.

The B’s weren’t at their best in Game 1 on Monday night, but were able to gut out a win without Patrice Bergeron thanks to stellar goaltending, timely scoring, and a strong third period. They got pretty much none of those things in Game 2 on Wednesday night, as the game veered wildly back in the wrong direction. And it was the first time the Bruins really felt the absence of No. 37.

Most glaring for the Bruins, and this wasn’t a new issue, was their carelessness with the puck, especially in their own end. An ill-advised giveaway by Charlie McAvoy ended up on the stick of the absolute last person they wanted to see, Matthew Tkachuk, and led directly to Carter Verhaege’s eventual game-winning goal in the third period. The Bruins were charged with 15 total individual giveaways on the night, and it gassed them in the end.

• Count on Carter Verhaeghe. ✅
  
  Catch the third period of Bruins vs. Panthers Game 2 LIVE on Sportsnet. pic.twitter.com/0I58zIJm2O

  — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 20, 2023

• “I just think players didn’t make the best decisions at moments,” said head coach Jim Montgomery. “I thought for the majority of the first two periods, we were doing really good things with the puck. But the turnovers we had tonight were catastrophic.

  “We usually have turnovers when other teams are forcing us, or we’re trying to make plays. It wasn’t really in areas typically that you’re trying to make plays, so to speak, where we turned it over.”

  McAvoy put it bluntly: “We’ve just got to do a better job, plain and simple.”

  Montgomery also described the nature of the Bruins’ 15 turnovers as “trying to make plays when plays weren’t there.” Brad Marchand, meanwhile, credited the Panthers’ forecheck for forcing the issue.

• 

  Apr 19, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) scores on Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) during the third period of game two of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

• “They put a lot of pressure. They were playing really fast,” Marchand said. “[Sam] Bennett back in the lineup helps them. He plays extremely hard and a tough player to play against, adds depth into to their lineup as well, so that third line’s even stronger. They played fast, they were moving pucks up and getting on the forecheck hard and being physical.

  “So, definitely a big part of it was them, and we forced a few plays that would be nice to have back, and definitely didn’t take care of pucks at some points. But, got to give them credit, they played hard.”

  Another clear area where Bergeron would provide a huge boost is at the faceoff dot. The Bruins won only 46.8 percent of faceoffs on the night, an uncharacteristically low rate. Bergeron’s replacement on the top line, Pavel Zacha, had the worst go of it, with only 31.6 percent of faceoffs won.

• 

  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 19: Aaron Ekblad #5 of the Florida Panthers and Pavel Zacha #18 of the Boston Bruins battle for control of the puck during the first period of Game Two of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on April 19, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

• Above all else, the Bruins are ostensibly missing Bergeron’s leadership and calming presence. Montgomery often turns to Bergeron as a communicator, and the captain is one of the ultimate “lead by example” players of his era. And he’s one of the few Bruins on this roster who truly knows what it takes to win a game, a series, let alone the Stanley Cup.

  Perhaps it took Bergeron leaving a massive void both on and off the ice for those without rings to get the wake-up call they need to turn around their level of play in the series. It remains to be seen if Bergeron is able to return in the series at all with an undisclosed injury suffered in the regular season finale against the Canadiens.

  But it became abundantly clear Wednesday night: they need their captain back. The B’s may have cruised to a historic regular season, but the slate’s clean now. It wasn’t going to continue to be so easy. Certainly not without Bergeron.

  “I think the No. 1 lesson you learn [in a game like this] is how hard it is to win in the playoffs,” Montgomery said. “Florida did a good job. I thought they had a real good gameplan. We’ve got to look at the tape, we’ve got to get better, and we’ve got to execute better.”

• Click here for complete Boston Bruins coverage at 985TheSportsHub.com.

  Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

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