Well, here we go again.
For the second straight season, and for the third time in the history of the head-to-head, it will be the Bruins and Panthers meeting up in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The obvious storyline for the Bruins in this one centers around the idea of “revenge.” It was just last year that the Panthers ended what was supposed to be a dream season for the Bruins – and effectively ended the careers of both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci in the process – when they stunned Boston into a first-round series exit.
The Bruins have done their part to tell you that the past is the past. But there’s no denying the low that loss brought to Boston. For a team that set the regular-season wins and points record, having it all come crashing down in a span of two weeks was an absolute shock to the system.
It even lingered into the Bruins’ brush with death in this year’s first-round series with Toronto, with the Bruins going through similar-looking struggles before punching their ticket to a Florida rematch with a Game 7 overtime goal courtesy of David Pastrnak.
But with the quick turnaround, there’s not much time for anything but getting right into it, so here are five thoughts on my brain as everyone sits, waits, and paces until 8 p.m. Monday
What to do in goal?
TORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 27: Jeremy Swayman #1 and Linus Ullmark #35 of the Boston Bruins warm up prior to play against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. (Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
An obvious question facing the B’s out of the gate is the upcoming decision in goal, and namely whether or not the Bruins will ‘ride’ Jeremy Swayman until the wheels fall off or go back to the ‘rotation’ that saw both Swayman and Linus Ullmark split the first two games of round one.
Now, based on Monday’s morning skate in Sunrise, the feeling is that the Bruins will stick with Swayman for Game 1. That… makes sense. Swayman is coming off a downright electrifying first-round showing against Toronto, with four wins and a .950 save percentage. Swayman was especially strong from in-tight and high-danger areas, and gave the Bruins absolutely everything in a do-or-die Game 7 performance, with 30 saves on 31 shots faced.
One thing that stuck out about Swayman’s performance: He didn’t give up a bad goal. I don’t believe that there was a single goal that made you go, “Oh, jeez, he shoulda had that one.” He was absolute nails, and given the cool-but-confident demeanor he’s displayed through each and every one of his outings to date, you gotta see if he can keep it rolling.
That said, the Bruins are officially in unknown territory with the 25-year-old Swayman.
While the obvious hope is that Swayman has grabbed hold of the cage and has decided that he is indeed The Guy, this is also something that is completely new to him. Monday night in Sunrise is expected to come with Swayman’s fifth start in the last 10 days. He’s never played at that pace in the NHL, and it’s going to further intensify from there, with the Bruins-Panthers series on an every-other-day run until a potential Game 6, which would come with an extra day of rest. This was something that played a big factor in the Bruins’ decision to lean on Swayman in the Maple Leafs series, as the series came with extra rest between Games 3 and 4 and then again between Games 4 and 5 because of Hockey Night in Canada’s desire to have Bruins-Leafs.
How Swayman responds to an undeniably grueling workload will be telling.
But there’s also the fact that Ullmark has been fantastic against the Panthers this year.
Given the cage for three of Boston’s four showdowns with the Panthers this season, Ullmark went 3-0-0 with a .947 save percentage. Much like how last round was a Swayman series given his regular-season numbers against Toronto (which played out at a similar clip in the playoffs), this could be an Ullmark series should he continue to dominate Florida if and when given a start.
Ultimately, I don’t believe this to be as big of a story in the B’s walls as it is outside of it, as the Black and Gold have legitimate comfort in having to turn to either guy. This is, after all, the value of having two number one goaltenders.
Has Mason Lohrei officially arrived?
Apr 2, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei (6) waits for a face off during the second period against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
One potentially gigantic development for the Bruins in the first round came with the emergence of smooth-skating defenseman Mason Lohrei as someone who looks truly NHL ready.
Thrown into the fire of Game 3 on the road, Lohrei hung in there in his first outing, and even got on the board with his first career playoff point in his second showing. But it was in Games 6 and 7 where the 23-year-old’s game truly took flight. He was confident with the puck, he was fearless with his activations, and he simply didn’t seem stunned by the moment.
You will always need and happily take more players who embrace the stress of the playoffs.
“A tremendous amount,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said of Lohrei’s growth shown in the first round. “I thought of the five games [Lohrei played], three were stellar, right? And one was a dip, and I loved the way he came back from the dip. Game 6 and 7 were really moments for him where I hope it’s his coming out party, like, ‘I’m an NHL player. I’m going to help the Bruins from now on.’ And knowing you belong, knowing how much you mean to the growth of our team and how dynamic he makes us should be really comforting.”
The challenge will only ramp up from here, though, with Lohrei set to go against a Florida forecheck that hammered the Lightning backend for 105 total hits at five-on-five play over the course of their five-game series. And you know the Panthers are going to target Lohrei out of the gate, especially with his status as a younger player, and especially after the confidence he displayed at the end of the Boston-Toronto series. There’s nothing the Panthers would like more than to chip at that confidence little by little and revert Lohrei back to the November version of him that got benched in a road showdown against the Panthers down in Sunrise.
Lohrei is set to begin the second round to the left of Charlie McAvoy on Boston’s top pair.
Special teams battle could rage on
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 30: Pavel Zacha #18 is surrounded by Jake DeBrusk #74, Danton Heinen #43, and Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins after scoring the game winning goal during overtime against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden on October 30, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeat the Panthers 3-2. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
If there was a sneaky gigantic factor in the Black and Gold punching their ticket to round two, it was the play of their special teams. The Bruins killed off all but one of the 21 power-play opportunities the high-talented Leafs power play had in their seven-game series. At the other end of the rink, meanwhile, the Bruins converted on six of their 17 power-play opportunities, which was good for a 35.3 power-play percentage that ranks fourth among all playoff teams (only the Avalanche, Rangers, and Oilers have been better on the power play out of the gate).
And at the risk of truly shocking the world here with this take, it feels safe to say that special teams will be a huge factor in this second-round showdown between the B’s and Cats.
While the Panthers killed off 16 of Tampa Bay’s 20 power-play chances in the first round, the Panthers were still whistled for 24 penalties in just five games. They didn’t always put the Panthers on the penalty kill, which helps, but that’s still an awful lot of penalties for a five-game series win. It’s also in line with how the regular season played out for Florida, too, as the Panthers were called for an East-high 415 penalties during the regular season. Their 415 penalties taken were the second-most in the entire NHL, and had a 57-penalty edge over third-place Arizona. Just a staggering amount of penalties for an elite team really.
If the Bruins can make the Panthers pay for dumb penalties (which is what they did at key moments in their series win over the Maple Leafs), that’ll limit Florida’s ability to dominate the game defensively at five-on-five play, which has been their bread and butter.
Boston’s power play, by the way, went 2-for-13 against Florida during the regular season, but got those power-play goals in the final two showdowns of the season.
The ‘Pressure’ Game
Apr 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) makes a save in front of Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) during the second period at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)
You know, pressure’s a funny thing. A year ago, all the pressure was on the Bruins. The Panthers’ Matt Tkahcuk made that known again and again in some subtle and not-so-subtle ways throughout the series, too, whether it was by talking about how incredible the Bruins were or how the Panthers just weren’t supposed to be there. That pressure continued to mount and mount on the Bruins as they began to feel their magical season slip away at the Cats’ hands.
Talking to Bruins players after the year, some admitted that they felt that they got tight while the Panthers remained loose and playing their game.
This time around, isn’t all the pressure on Florida? I mean, think about it. ESPN polled their experts and a staggering 23 of 24 picked the Panthers to beat the Bruins in this series (Steve Levy was the only one not to, picking the B’s in seven). The Bruins, meanwhile, were declared dead and buried by their own fans and media alike about 20,000 times before Pastrnak tucked the puck by the Leafs’ Ilya Samsonov early into the fourth period of Saturday’s Game 7.
And after winning the Prince of Wales Trophy a year ago and representing the Eastern Conference in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, the belief is that the Panthers’ time to win is N-O-W. The Panthers went out and had themselves a veteran-heavy deadline, too, with the addition of Vladimir Tarasenko (2019 Stanley Cup winner in St. Louis) and Kyle Okposo (a former captain).
Florida coming up short would be a legitimate stunner. And there’s always the possibility that this is it for their current window, with both Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour staring at Scrooge McDuck dollar signs with a potential jump into unrestricted free agency this summer.
For Boston? Hell, this is house money. After bowing out in the first round in both 2022 and 2023, the Bruins took an actual step forward and are second-round dancing for the first time in three years. Anything beyond this is a bonus in a lot of ways given the ‘bridge year’ vibes this year came with given the talent drain as well as the cap space issues the Bruins faced in 2023-24.
The Bruins also have some potential momentum on their side after going the distance with Toronto and being truly ‘game ready’, whereas the Panthers have been resting since eliminating the Lightning in a Game 5 a full-on week ago.
If the Bruins can steal a game in Florida, boy oh boy could things get a little tight.
Good chance for Pastrnak, Lindholm to build
Nov 4, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) celebrates his goal with defenseman Hampus Lindholm (27) during the third period against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. (Tim Fuller/USA TODAY Sports)
The importance of the Game 7 production from David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm goes beyond the obvious. Not only did it keep the B’s alive, but it also got both players on the board with some meaningful (to say the least production) after going through nightmarish struggles.
In the case of Pastrnak, the prevailing feeling about those in the organization was that he would eventually break through. He’s too talented not to, and now the hope is that with the struggles and ‘fighting it’ behind him, Pastrnak can take flight. Because of how last year ended, people forget that Pastrnak was in line for the game-winning goal in both Games 6 and 7 against Florida. Beyond those would-bes, No. 88 was also Boston’s best player in both of those games.
Pastrnak finished the season series with a goal and four points in four meetings against the Panthers this past season, and was especially great in the final road showing against Florida. In fact, he put the team on his back for that game when they needed it the most.
The Bruins will need more of that against this stingy Florida defense.
Lindholm, meanwhile, finally has something to build on when it comes to his playoff career with the Bruins. It’s been tough sledding, and the truth is that some nights the ugliness has shined brighter than the stronger pockets of play, whether that’s a strong seal-off or some big blocks.
But in Game 7, Lindholm was phenomenal. It was as if something clicked and he realized he didn’t have to be a passenger or let the play come to him, but that he himself could instead be a tone-setting presence on the backend for the Bruins. When Lindholm plays with that mindset, good things follow, and it’s especially noticeable when he has production to his name.
He has that now.
