Panthers dominate Bruins, knock Marchand out
Vladimir Tarasenko and Carter Verhaeghe scored on the same Bruins double-minor penalty, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 14 shots and the Florida Panthers beat Boston 6-2 on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Evan Rodrigues scored twice, and Brandon Montour also connected for the Panthers, who have won back-to-back games after dropping the opener at home.
A 6-1 winner Wednesday night, Florida scored 10 straight goals before Jakub Lauko made it 4-1 early in the third and Jake DeBrusk followed with 11:31 left to make it a two-goal game.
But Boston, which played the final 20 minutes without captain and No. 2 scorer Brad Marchand, could get no closer before Sam Reinhart added an empty-netter with 1:24 left. Rodrigues scored again — Florida’s fourth power-play goal of the game — in the final minute.
Now the Bruins need a win at home on Sunday night to avoid a 3-1 deficit heading back to Florida for Game 5.
Jeremy Swayman stopped 27 shots for Boston, which was outshot 13-3 in the first period and 3316 overall. Things got worse when Marchand, who seemed to struggle after a first-period hit by Sam Bennett, did not return for the third period.
After splitting the first two games on their home ice, the Panthers made it 1-0 after eight minutes when Rodrigues knocked a puck out of the air and past Swayman. It stayed that way until Mason Lohrei drew a double-minor for highsticking late in the second.
With 23 seconds left in the first half of the penalty, Tarasenko beat Swayman with a wrist shot from the left circle. Verhaeghe scored a minute later to make it 3-0.
Rangers look for sweep
The New York Rangers have carried the form that made them the NHL’s best regular-season team straight into the post-season. And that has them within a win of becoming the first team into the conference finals.
The Rangers visit the Carolina Hurricanes in Saturday night’s Game 4, with the Presidents’ Trophy winner on the verge of sweeping past the team that finished third in the NHL standings. They’re also the first team in 16 years to start a post-season at 7-0.
“You don’t really even think about it, though,” Rangers forward Jack Roslovic said. “You’re just rolling, you’re playing good hockey. Everybody’s clicking at the right time, the goalies are playing well, the systems seem to be working, the matchups seem to be working”
New York opened the playoffs with a sweep of Washington. Another sweep would make them the first team to open the playoffs with eight straight wins since the Edmonton Oilers won nine in a row in 1985 on the way to winning the Stanley Cup.