Bruins

Six things the Bruins need to do to respond vs. Panthers in Game 3

The Bruins need to do far more than just land a few hits against Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers in Game 3.

By Conor Ryan

May 9, 2024

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After racking up 148 penalty minutes and 12 total game misconducts in Game 2, the Bruins and Panthers are setting themselves up for another slugfest in Game 3 on Friday night at TD Garden.  

Matthew Tkachuk’s scrap with David Pastrnak will be present on most Bruins fans’ minds once the puck drops at 7 p.m. But Boston can’t take a 2-1 series lead by just landing welts against Tkachuk and Co.

Here are six keys for the Bruins if they want to punch back against the Panthers on Causeway Street.

Take care of the puck 

Wednesday’s lopsided loss followed a similar script as most of Boston’s first-round collapse against Florida last April.

Yes, the Panthers are loaded with talent all across their depth chart — and they generate most of their offensive chances with a relentless forecheck. 

But beyond the expected headaches that come with Florida pressuring Boston’s puck carriers, the Bruins made things far too easy for the Panthers due to several errant passes, failed clears, and other miscues that ended up in Boston’s net. 

Making smart, simple plays needs to be the emphasis for Boston when it comes to moving the puck out of its zone before Florida skaters close in. The Bruins’ forwards also need to not operate so far up the ice, giving Boston’s defensemen more outlets to move pucks when under duress.

It might limit the Bruins’ ability to generate rush opportunities down the other end of the ice, but it’s better to be safe than sorry against a team like the Panthers. 

Beyond crisp passing, the Bruins need to just execute with the puck on their stick to limit O-zone reps for the Panthers.

Gustav Forsling’s buzzer-beater goal in the second period was the byproduct of Charlie McAvoy screening Jeremy Swayman down low, but the whole sequence started when Brad Marchand couldn’t clear the puck after a face-off win by Johnny Beecher. 

Eetu Luostarinen’s tap-in tally in the third knocked Swayman out of the game, but it came off a sequence that Boston thought was an icing — and ended when Brandon Carlo fell down along the end boards with Aleksander Barkov closing in. 

Some unlucky screens and miscommunications led to an early exit for Swayman. But regardless of who Jim Montgomery turns to in net for Game 3, it’s going to be another long night for either goalie if the Bruins continue to fumble pucks and whiff on clears. 

Punch back 

Marchand, Pastrnak, and Jim Montgomery downplayed Wednesday’s third-period fracas and the odds of that hostility carrying over into Game 3. 

“I don’t think there’s gonna be any spillover to the next game,” Montgomery said. “These are two teams that are rivals — we played each other last year … It’s gonna be a series.”

Of course, we’ll see if that line of thinking remains in place once Tkachuk is back on the TD Garden ice — especially if Pat Maroon is matched up against him. 

Pastrnak’s decision to drop the gloves with Tkachuk could serve as a galvanizing action point for the Bruins, especially after Boston was pushed around for most of last year’s first-round exit.

 Of course, the Bruins could also unravel if the Panthers continue to try and muck things up. As such, Game 3 will be a critical juncture for a Bruins team looking to push back against a familiar foe.

“I think we’re built a little differently this year, probably in a little bit better position to push back physically,” Brad Marchand said. “You can see that we’re a little bit bigger throughout the lineup and a little more physical. That’s what they bring every night. So we gotta keep going.”

Beyond matching Florida’s physicality, the Bruins should also take a page out of Florida’s game plan and put some pressure on the Panthers’ puck carriers. Boston’s lone goal in Game 2 was the direct result of forcing Brandon Montour into a turnover along the boards — with Charlie Coyle subsequently cashing in on a 3-on-1 bid. 

Get pucks on net 

The Bruins had several missed opportunities to build their lead in Game 2, with both Marchand and Beecher missing empty nets. Coyle also nearly scored again with a sharp wrist shot that clanged off a post.

But even though most of the headlines following Game 2 deservedly focus in on those third-period scraps and Boston’s D-zone woes, Boston did little to make Sergei Bobrovsky work as that game went along.

Boston finished Game 2 with just 15 shots on net, going 16 minutes of game action without a shot on net at one point through the second and third periods. 

Bobrovsky has had a strong regular season for Florida, but he has been prone to rebound issues and other lapses during playoff action. He sported just an .891 save percentage over five games against Boston last postseason, and posted an .896 save percentage against Tampa Bay in their first-round series in April. 

More shot volume and traffic down low should lead to stronger returns at 5-on-5 play for Boston. But the Bruins also need to sort their power play out. After a scorching-hot start against Toronto last round, the Bruins are mired in an 0-for-8 slump over their last five games. 

Make some personnel changes

Montgomery’s call in net is the most consequential decision that awaits before Game 3. But the Bruins should also make a few more tweaks to the rest of their lineup before puck drop on Friday.

Slotting in Jakub Lauko somewhere the bottom-six grouping could be an appealing option for Boston, giving the team a speedier asset who is adept at landing hits, drawing penalties, and pestering opponents whenever he’s out for a shift. 

On the blue line, a return for Andrew Peeke would be welcomed after missing the last seven games due to an upper-body injury. The Florida native has skated with the Bruins over the last few days and is close to getting the green light for game action. 

 “He’s getting closer. We’ll know more tomorrow morning. But he’s getting closer,” Montgomery said on Thursday.

A third pairing of Parker Wotherspoon and Peeke more than held their own against Florida during regular-season play — with Boston holding a 4-2 edge in shots on goal during the 7:52 of 5-on-5 ice time where Peeke was matched up against Sam Bennett on April 6.

With Bennett potentially close to a return from his own upper-body injury in this series, bringing back Peeke would be a huge lift for Boston. 

Charlie McAvoy needs to rebound 

If the Bruins’ defense is going to right the ship against the Panthers in Game 3, it’s going to have to start with their best blueliner in Charlie McAvoy.

This postseason has been a struggle at times for McAvoy, especially when it comes to executing on the breakout and limiting turnovers. 

McAvoy has been knocked for 16 giveaways through nine playoff games so far, the most among any NHLer so far this postseason.

He had a brutal Game 2, screening Swayman on Forsling’s tally while also failing to clear the puck before Barkov knocked home a rebound goal with 10:11 to go in the second. McAvoy, skating without his stick, was unable to clear out the loose puck before Barkov pounced on it. 

He also had a rough turnover off of what should have been a simple pass early in the third, with Swayman bailing him out after snagging Anton Lundell’s shot from the slot. 

Beyond his D-zone slip-ups, McAvoy needs to inject a bit more scoring into Boston’s D corps. He hasn’t scored a playoff goal since Game 1 of the Bruins’ second-round series versus the New York Islanders in 2021, and has not recorded a point in his last five games. 

McAvoy is a workhorse (25:40 of ice time per game – sixth in NHL this postseason) who can impact the game via a bone-crunching hit, pass into Grade-A ice, or blocked shot down the other end of the sheet. 

Friday night would be an ideal time for a breakthrough game for McAvoy.

“I think McAvoy has been a horse for us in the playoffs,” Montgomery said on Thursday. “Did he have his best game last night? No. I don’t think there was a Bruin, except for maybe Swayman, that had his best night last night. The fatigue factors in. He is our biggest minute-cruncher. He’ll be ready tomorrow night.”

Stick with Swayman

We elaborated on this far more in this piece, but Swayman was far from the issue in Game 2 — even if he was pulled less than two minutes into the third period. 

By taking Swayman out in a game that had already gone off the rails, Montgomery and the Bruins were able to give their goalie a bit of a breather if they turn to him again on Friday. 

“No, the workload hasn’t played into Jeremy Swayman’s [play],” Jim Montgomery said of Swayman’s heavy reps. “The workload had played into our effort tonight. We didn’t have juice tonight.”

If the Bruins are looking to respond with a decisive, spirited performance against the Panthers on Friday, sticking with the netminder lauded for projecting plenty of confidence toward his teammates should be the move in Game 3.