For the second straight year, the Boston Bruins end their season losing to the Florida Panthers. The B’s were in the game down to the final two minutes, but a Gustav Forsling goal with 1:33 remaining sealed their fate. That goal ended a disappointing but overall solid playoff run that at least doesn’t have the same type of stink as last season’s loss.
The Bruin’s first opponent was the Toronto Maple Leafs, a top-heavy team with a lot of goal-scoring talent that would prove to be a tough opponent. Something unexpected for the start of game one was the absence of William Nylander in the Maple Leafs roster. It was unclear why Nylander was out, but it was a major loss for the Maple Leafs with him being their second-leading scorer with 98 points.
Game 1 saw the B’s come out flying, winning the game convincingly 5-1 with Swyaman getting the start and playing great. The next two games were split, with Ullmark getting the Loss in game two and Swayman the win in game three. Game four finally answered the biggest question for the Bruins heading into the playoffs, would the rotation continue? No, Montgomery was going to go with Swayman the rest of the way. This was a decision that I believe needed to be made either way by Coach Montgomery.
Nylander returned for the Maple Leafs in game four, but the Bruins got the win to go up 3-1 in the series. The Bruins drop the next two games, only scoring two goals in total, setting up a game seven back in Toronto. Game 7 was a real joy to watch as a Bruins fan and probably the most fun I’ve had watching in years. It was a tight game into the 3rd, with every close chance from either team making your heart jump. Things looked bleak when Nylander scored with 10:59 remaining, only to have Hampus Lindholm score less than two minutes later.
The game heads into overtime tied 1-1, and we did not have to wait long for the outcome. Approaching two minutes into overtime, Hampus Lindholm skates into the open ice in front of him and strategically dumps the puck in at an angle as he approaches the half-line. It ricochets perfectly off the boards to a streaking David Pastrnak, who makes a forehand-backhand move and beats Illya Samsanov’s far side to win the series for the Bruins. As a fan moments like that are why you watch and the season was a success for me after this goal happened.
On only two days’ rest, the Bruins start the next series vs the Panthers and jump out to a convincing 5-2 victory. Unfortunately for the Bruins, this was the only offensive explosion that they could muster the whole series. Scoring no more than two goals in the remaining five games of the series. Pasta only scored one goal the whole series and the lack of goal-scoring is something that needs to be addressed this off-season.
Swayman was the Bruins MVP of the playoffs by a mile and was the only player on the roster to elevate his game from the regular season. He has cemented himself as one of the top goaltenders in the NHL and a household name. The Bruins would have lost in the first round, never mind push the second round to game six without Swayman playing the way he did.
Not expecting much beyond some competitive play, I would have to say that overall the playoff run was a B-. Pasta’s OT goal in game seven of the first round was an instant classic and was probably the highlight of his career to this point. This was a flawed team that still fought hard and put themselves in a position to win, which as a fan is all I believe you can ask.
The Bruins Review 