NHL Playoffs | Second-round results | Friday
Panthers 6, Bruins 2 Florida leads series 2-1
BOSTON — Vladimir Tarasenko and Carter Verhaeghe scored on the same Bruins double-minor, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 14 shots and the Florida Panthers beat Boston 6-2 on Friday night and 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 33-16 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 high-sticking 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.
Early in the third, Lauko was sent off for interfering with the goalie. The Bruins howled that he was shoved into Bobrovsky by Aaron Ekblad, and fans threw water bottles and giveaway towels onto the ice, delaying the game for a few minutes.
But when the debris was clear, Montour scored to give Florida a 4-0 lead.
Oilers 4, Canucks 3, OT Series tied 1-1
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks to even their second-round playoff series at one game apiece.
Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid each had a goal and three assists, and Mattias Ekholm also scored for the Oilers. Stuart Skinner finished with 16 saves.
Nikita Zadorov had a goal and an assist, and Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser also scored for the Canucks. Arturs Silovs made 27 saves.
Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is Sunday in Edmonton.
In the extra period, Bouchard got the game-winner with a shot from near the boards that skittered in past Silovs.
McDavid used his speed to tie the score 3-3 at 5:27 of the third. The elite center picked up a contested puck in the neutral zone, sprinted down the ice ahead of a pair of Canucks defensemen, and sent a shot flying under Silovs’ blocker for his second postseason goal.
Edmonton continued to press for the winner late, hemming Vancouver into its own end for extended stretches and outshooting the home side 15-2 across the third period, but had to settle for overtime.