What to know about the Panthers and a playoff rematch with the Bruins

Bruins

The Bruins will look to get revenge against a Panthers team that ended its season in 2023-24.

The Bruins and Panthers are once again poised for a playoff collision.

After David Pastrnak and the Bruins emerged victorious against the Maple Leafs in Game 7 on Saturday, Boston will take a flight to South Florida on Sunday afternoon and prepare for a second-round fight against a familiar foe.

The first game between the Bruins and Panthers will be Monday night at 8 p.m. at Amerant Bank Arena. Florida punched its ticket to the second round after shutting out the Lightning in five games in its first round matchup.

“I watched the first round, they absolutely dominated,” Brad Marchand said of Florida after Saturday’s Game 7 win. “It’s a very, very difficult match. So this is another opportunity to be excited and a big challenge awaits us.

The Bruins will look for revenge on the Panthers, who destroyed Boston’s record-breaking season last spring by upsetting them in the first round of the playoffs.

Here’s what you need to know about the Bruins’ second-round opponent:

Florida’s offense revolves around a deadly forecheck and shooting from the blue line

As Bruins fans who have watched the last few playoffs can certainly attest, the Panthers are at their best when they throw their weight around and create chaos on the forecheck – and spice up goalies from the high slot with aggressive defenders.

With the pugnacious Matthew Tkachuk (nine points in five playoff games already) leading the way, the Panthers generate quality chances around the goalies by forcing turnovers on A-level ice, putting pressure on puck carriers and capitalizing on the chaos that ensues when they put their opponents under restraint.

During their five-game series against Tampa Bay, the Panthers led 10-5 in goals scored in high-danger areas, while five different Florida skaters recorded at least 20 hits during this premiership contest. round against the Bolts.

Tkachuk may be the final straw for Florida, but that stifling forecheck allows Paul Maurice’s team to put pressure on defenses no matter who jumps over the boards. In total, 18 different players have recorded at least one point in these five playoff games against Tampa Bay.

One player to watch is Florida forward Sam Bennett, who tormented the Bruins this past playoffs on a line alongside Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. Bennett suffered an upper body injury against Tampa Bay in the first round, but was deemed a “possibility” to return in the second round against Boston.

Even without Bennett, the Panthers should have enough firepower to keep Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark on their toes – especially when defenders like Brandon Montour, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Gustav Forsling join the rush or activate outside of the blue line.

According to AllThreeZones tracking data, the Panthers ranked first among all NHL teams in 2023-24 in both behind-the-net passes and low-to-high passes, resulting in to a burst of A-grade looks.

Beyond the need for Boston to execute crisp passes on its breakout (or show a willingness to get the puck out of harm’s way and fight another day), Jim Montgomery’s team will have to prepare the sacks ice for the number of shots coming from players like Montour and the rest of Florida’s D corps.

Florida could be the best defensive team in the NHL

What a difference a season makes.

After entering the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs ranked 21st overall in goals allowed per game (3.32), Florida led the league in that same category this season (2.41).

Strong play in net between Sergei Bobrovsky (.915 save percentage, six shutouts) and Anthony Stolarz (.925 save percentage over 27 games) played a key role in the team’s defensive turnaround. Florida.

In some ways, an elite forecheck translates to strong returns at the other end of the ice – with opposing attacks being stifled around their own net thanks to Florida’s commitment to making scores against anyone holding the puck.

But Florida also has arguably the league’s best defensive forward in the post-Bergeron era, captain Aleksander Barkov, as well as one of the best shutdown pairs in Aaron Ekblad and Forsling.

In addition to collecting 80 points (23 goals, 57 assists) in 73 games, Barkov’s defensive play regularly tips the ice in Florida’s favor. In Barkov’s ice time of 928:21 at 5-on-5 this season, the Panthers have outscored their opponents, 53-23.

While regularly facing some of Tampa’s top weapons in the first round, the Ekblad-Forsling duo only gave up two 5-on-5 goals in 78:33 of 5-on-5 reps.

The Bruins will have to make the most of the opportunities that present themselves against a stingy Florida defense. Unlike the Maple Leafs, the Panthers have a solid penalty kill that ties Boston with an 82.5% success rate during the regular season.

The Bruins have had success against Florida in 2023-24

For all the misery Florida inflicted against the Bruins last April, Boston more than held its own against the Panthers in regular season play in 2023-24.

The Bruins went 4-0-0 against the Panthers this season, headlined by two overtime winners (thanks to tallies from Pavel Zacha and Jesper Boqvist) and an impressive comeback win at Sunrise on March 26 .

That 4-3 road win in March might have been the most important result of the season for the Bruins, coming just a day after Jim Montgomery’s public call on his team and sack skating practice at Warrior Ice Arena.