Global Courant 2023-04-18 07:54:28
Brad Marchand scored his 50th career playoff goal, David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk also scored, and the NHL-seeded Boston Bruins opened the playoffs by beating the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Monday night.
Linus Ullmark, a Vezina Trophy contender who led the league in wins (40), goals-against average (1.89), and save percentage (.938), stopped 31 shots and Tyler Bertuzzi added two assists for Boston, who won the match controlled, even with Captain Patrice Bergeron out due to illness.
Matthew Tkachuk scored for the Panthers and Alex Lyon made 26 saves, but conceded Marchand’s goal on a relatively easy shot.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS REPORT ON FOXNEWS.COM
Garnet Hathaway #21 of the Boston Bruins and Colin White #6 of the Florida Panthers push each other during the second period of Game One of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the TD Garden on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Boston.
The Bruins captured the Presidents’ Trophy and set NHL records in points (135) and wins (65). Florida, last season’s No. 1 seed, earned the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot with a season-ending push.
It is the first playoff game between a No. 1 seed and the previous season’s Presidents winner since the award was introduced in 1985-86.
Pastrnak, a 61-goal scorer this season, was on the opposite side of the right wing to his usual spot on the power play. Bertuzzi grabbed the rebound from David Krejci’s shot into the slot and sent a quick backhand pass to Pastrnak, who shot the puck into the net at 5:58 of the opening period.
BRUINS SETS NEW NHL RECORD AFTER BEATING FLYERS FOR 63rd WIN OF THE SEASON
Lyon gave up the soft goal early in the second inning when Marchand fired an apparently harmless shot from the top of the left circle. Lyon bent down to catch him and he slipped his glove and landed in the net after hitting the inside of the right post.
Soon after, the TD Garden crowd began serenading him with chants of “Lyon! Lyon!”
Florida cut the lead in half when Boston defenseman Dmitry Orlov sent a blind backhand pass straight to the front where Tkachuk collected it and flipped the puck past Ullmark at 6:34 of the second.
Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins celebrates his goal against Alex Lyon #34 of the Florida Panthers during the second period of Game One of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the TD Garden on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)
DeBrusk restored the two-goal lead when he dove into a pile late in the second inning and hit the puck into the net from a scramble near the crease.
As it did with so many opponents during its record-breaking season, Boston floundered Florida in the third inning.
HIGHLIGHTS STOP
BRUINS BREAKS LONG LASTING NHL RECORD IN ROUT OF SABERS
The 30-year-old Lyon, undrafted and essentially a minor leaguer in his career, made some great stops after Boston took the 1-0 lead, coming forward to save a left field on Bertuzzi’s diversion from the edge of the crease and sliding across to stop Trent Frederic’s chance. He robbed Frederic again late in the second.
ILLNESS CAPTAIN
Bergeron left the regular season finale in Montreal in the first period with an upper body injury and then missed Saturday and Sunday practices.
“Not only do we have Bergeron, but some guys who have been in trouble,” coach Jim Montgomery said after the morning skate.
David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins celebrates after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the first period of Game One of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the TD Garden on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
NOTES: Krejci missed the last six games of the regular season with a lower body injury. … Bruins D Derek Forbort returned to the lineup. He had not played since mid-March due to a lower body injury. D Matt Grzelcyk was a healthy scratch…Panthers C Aleksander Barkov was in the lineup after missing Sunday’s practice. …Florida G Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina winner, was the backup. He has not played since March 27 due to a non-COVID illness. … Florida led the league in shots on target per game with 36.82.
