Both of the Boston Bruins’ losses in their series against the Florida Panthers have come because of egregious turnovers. They just made the worst one yet, from the absolute last person they wanted to make it.
In the end, it was goaltender Linus Ullmark who gave away the puck that ended up in the back of the net in overtime on Wednesday night at TD Garden, spoiling the Bruins’ chance to eliminate the Panthers and forcing a Game 6 down in Florida. Ullmark attempted to clear the puck around the boards, but it ended up on the stick of a waiting Carter Verhaeghe, who fed it toward the net and off a sprawling Ullmark’s skate.
Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk was crashing the net at that moment, and was able to gather the bouncing puck for a backhand into the gaping net, giving the Panthers a 4-3 win and keeping the series alive.
Days after going viral for a confrontation with Tkachuk down at FLA Live Arena in Game 4, Ullmark is now going viral for an entirely different reason. But like the true pro he is, the goaltender faced the music and fielded questions about the play after the game.
“I tried to send it out to the corner a little bit and bypass [Verhaeghe], he makes a good play catching it, and the rest is history,” Ullmark said.
After a screw-up like that, there’s not much you really can say as far as what happened, what you saw, what you were thinking. What really matters is how Ullmark and the Bruins respond to this.
Apr 26, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Florida Panthers celebrate their overtime victory over the Boston Bruins in game five of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 26, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) reacts after scoring the winning goal during overtime in game five of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
