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Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

Bruins give away Game 5 to Panthers in overtime

By Matt Dolloff

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The Florida Panthers are still alive. They found a way to win on the Bruins’ ice Wednesday night, taking Game 5 by a 4-3 final in overtime. Matthew Tkachuk scored the game-winner for Florida, and the teams will now head back down south for a Game 6.

Tkachuk’s game-winner came off a giveaway by Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark, who was trying to clear the puck along the boards. Ullmark made a sprawling save on the first chance, but Tkachuk pounced on the loose puck and flipped it into the open net to give the Panthers the win.

The Bruins lost despite out-shooting the Panthers 47-25 on the night.

  • Facing a do-or-die situation, the Panthers got an early jump on the game. They out-shot the Bruins 7-2 to start things off, the seventh shot being the game’s first goal.

    The play began with a bad giveaway by Tyler Bertuzzi, who passed the puck from the half-boards toward the Bruins’ net, with no one to receive it. It ended up on the stick of Carter Verhaeghe, who smacked it toward the crease with Ullmark sprawled on the ice.

    The puck popped in the air, then Panthers winger Anthony Duclair crashed the net and chopped the puck down and in to give his team a 1-0 lead.

  • The Panthers would take that 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Boston out-shot Florida 9-8 in the period, but Florida had a 4-3 edge in high-danger scoring chances (per Natural Stat Trick).

    Boston’s biggest highlight of the period was of course not a goal, but a save by Ullmark – another one off his helmet, following up his dazzling head save in Game 4.

    Ullmark’s latest header stopped the Panthers’ Nick Cousins from a potential goal that would’ve made it 2-0:

  • Early in the second period, the Bruins found the equalizer they needed.

    It started with a penalty against the Panthers’ Sam Bennett, drawn by Bruins center Charlie Coyle, during one of his trademark strong puck possessions. On the ensuing power play, Bruins defenseman Charlie Mcavoy pounced on a passing lane to an open Brad Marchand.

    No. 63 shot it into the padding of Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, but the puck trickled through. Marchand then pushed his own rebound through the crease and into the net to tie it 1-1.

  • The Bruins would go on to dominate play for most of the second period, out-shooting the Panthers 18-8 over the course of the 20 minutes. But it was Florida who would score the game’s next goal, pull it off late, and sneak into the second intermission still with the lead.

    On the Panthers’ first sustained offensive zone time all night, Verhaeghe found an open Sam Bennett in the slot with a cushion to shoot. He let it rip and beat Ullmark for his third goal in four games in the series.

  • Once again, it didn’t take long for the Bruins to tie the game back up. Just 4:33 into the third period, immediately cashing in on a fresh power play, the returning Patrice Bergeron tipped a shot into the net from his patented “bumper” spot to again tie the game, 2-2.

  • Unfortunately, the Bruins would quickly take a penalty of their own, and the Panthers would quickly strike right back. This time, Sam Reinhart found the puck on his stick from his own bumper spot, and fired it past Ullmark to put the Panthers back on top yet again, 3-2. The goal made young Bruins forward Jakub Lauko pay for taking his second penalty of the game, albeit on a questionable hooking call.

  • But 4:02 later, the Bruins would get yet another equalizer, this time off the stick of one of the hottest players in the series, Taylor Hall. The veteran wing was able to settle a bouncing puck down in the slot and let it rip, and he beat Bobrovsky to yet again tie the game, 3-3.

    Hall now has five goals and seven points in the series, all within the past four games.

  • Marchand had a chance to score the game-winning goal on a breakaway in the closing seconds, but Bobrovsky made his 40th save to keep the game going into overtime, setting the stage for Florida’s win.

    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.

NEXT: Linus Ullmark Reacts To Dust-Up With Matthew Tkachuk

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