Fans reacted as the Florida P͏anthers͏ knocke͏d out the Boston Bruins w͏ith a 2-1 win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Second Roun͏d at TD Garden͏ on F͏riday. Anton Lundell was the star for t͏he Panthers͏, scor͏ing a goal and assist͏ing another.
Sergei Bobrovs͏ky was solid in͏ goal, maki͏ng 22 saves. With the win, Florida, the top͏ team from the Atlant͏ic Division, next pla͏ys the New͏ York Rangers in the ͏Eastern Conference Final.
Pavel Zacha scored his first NHL playoff goal for the Bruins, while Jeremy Swayman made 26 saves. Despite their efforts, the Bruins, the second seed from the Atlantic, couldn't beat the Panthers, who won all three of their road games in the series.
Boston Bruins fans expressed their frustration and anger on X after their team's poor performance, with one tweeting:
"Not one fan is surprised! Same story always!"
Another fan echoed a similar sentiment:
"Sad way to end the season. Go Celtics."
Fans not just vented their anger but also called for significant changes within the Bruins organization:
"With the exception of Swayman, Carlo and Coyle you guys were outplayed by a not so great team. Time for a major management change." one fan said
"Time for a change! See ya next year!" another fan commented
"Hopefully they can work out that locker room drama!" one fan reacted
"Blow up the team. Players. Coaches. Sweeney needs to go. It’s time. This team and front office can’t do it." one fan chimed in
Some fans are positive about the Boston Bruins comeback next year:
"Great season lads, we'll be back next year" one fan said
"It’s ok boys, onto next season!" another fan said
This is the second year in a row that the Panthers have beaten the Bruins in the playoffs. Last year, they beat Boston in overtime in Game 7 of the first round.
Bruins captain Brad Marchand returned after missing two games with a suspected concussion, but it wasn’t enough. The Bruins also had their seventh too-many-men penalty of the postseason, but luckily it didn’t lead to a Panthers goal.
Forsling's late heroics lift Panthers over Boston Bruins: Game Recap
The Boston Bruins took an early lead, with Pavel Zacha scoring at 1͏9:07 of the first pe͏riod. Zacha capitalized on a p͏artial͏ ͏breakaway, skillfull͏y ͏b͏ackhan͏ding the͏ p͏uck into the net off a precise pass͏ from Jake DeBrusk.
The Panthers equalized in the second period at 12:44, thanks to Anton Lundell. The goal materialized after DeBrusk had blocked a shot from Carter Verhaeghe, but the puck ended up on Parker Wotherspoon's stick. Lundell seized the opportunity and snapped it past Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, making it 1-1.
The decisive moment came late in the third period. With 1:33 remaining, Gustav Forsling scored the go-ahead goal for the Panthers. The play started with Lundell taking a shot, and Forsling was quick to react, driving the rebound past Swayman on the short side.
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