The Bruins finally know who their first-round playoff opponent will be
The Boston Bruins finally know who they will be playing in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
SUNRISE, FL – JANUARY 28: Aaron Ekblad #5 of the Florida Panthers defends against Patrice Bergeron #37 of the Boston Bruins in front of the net during second period action at the FLA Live Arena on January 28, 2023 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
Joel Auerbach/Getty ImagesIt took until the second-to-last night of the regular season, but the Boston Bruins finally know who they will be playing in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
As the Bruins were finishing up their historic regular season with a 5-4 win in Montreal, another game was taking place to determine the Eastern Conference Wild Card seeding. The New York Islanders and Florida Panthers had already clinched the two spots, but had yet to finalize who took which seed.
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We now know that, with the games over, the Bruins' opponent will be the Panthers. Florida lost its final game of the regular season against the Carolina Hurricanes by a 6-4 final, locking it into the second Wild Card spot in the east and a first-round date with the B's.
The Bruins went 2-1-1 against the Panthers in the regular season. They beat the Panthers 5-3 in October, then lost 5-2 just before Thanksgiving.
After notching a 7-3 win in December, the Bruins lost a tough one when the Panthers scored in the final second of regulation then took the extra point in overtime.
Dec 19, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Bruins celebrates after a goal during the first period against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
Prior to losing their final two games of the regular season, the Panthers won six in a row to push themselves into a Wild Card spot down the stretch. They've been getting incredible production out of star power forward Matthew Tkachuk, who set a new career-high with 109 points. Tkachuk scored 23 goals and 65 points in 43 games after the calendar flipped to 2023.
The Bruins, meanwhile, just kept on winning. They won 15 of their last 16 games to finish the regular season, pushing themselves to the best single-season win and point total in NHL history. The B's were 65-12-5, adding up to 135 points, both new records.
Nov 23, 2022; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (48) and Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) face-off during the first period at FLA Live Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Of course, a great regular season is what it is, but means nothing without finishing the job. The Bruins now need to win the Stanley Cup, or this will end up being a disappointing season rather than an all-time great one. Considering how well the Panthers have played down the stretch and how relatively tough they played the Bruins during the season, it could be a surprising challenge just to get out of the first round.
Game 1 of Bruins-Panthers is set for Monday, with the time and the rest of the series schedule to be determined.
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.
