Matt Ross: FLA vs BOS: Rd 1, GM 1

As posted in the Leafs thread, last night:

Florida in 6 vs Boston

Boston hasn't played a meaningful game in 2 months. Florida has the offensive talent and had to fight to get in, beating out the Pens, Sens, Caps, Sabres and Wings to grab the last playoff spot. It took until game 81 to get in. Many forget that they were the Presidents Trophy winner one year ago. Adding Matthew Tkachuk and maybe Sam Bennett with their steamroller type of game means Boston will have their hands full.

Too many Bruins fans with regular season hangover seem to discount any chance of Florida winning this series. They're possibly right, but Florida splitting in Boston in the first two happens, all bets are off. Florida is playing their best hockey of the season right now and I see them having a legitimate chance at winning this series.

I really WANT the Cats to win, both because I like them and because F the Bruins. But I think the difference is in goal; unless Lyon becomes the 2010 version of Michael Leighton, they just won't be able to hang. But I can hope.

The last time somebody tied or broke the league record for wins in a season, it didn't end up well for that team in the playoffs.

Good luck. Pretty sure most nhl fans are rooting for you.

As somehow the future of my team now plays on your team, I am jumping on the Panthers bandwagon.

Good luck. Pretty sure most nhl fans are rooting for you.
- MartysBetter88

except for the Habs who hold Florida's 1st

The flu bug is going around in Boston, hope Panthers don't catch it.

Exciting!

I predict the first 5 minutes of game 1 will be very indicative of the series. If the Panthers play competently and act like they belong in the series, it will be a great series. However, if they come out with stage fright again, get a penalty or two right away, have difficulty passing to other Panthers, it could be painful.

Go Panthers!

As posted in the Leafs thread, last night:

Florida in 6 vs Boston

Boston hasn't played a meaningful game in 2 months. Florida has the offensive talent and had to fight to get in, beating out the Pens, Sens, Caps, Sabres and Wings to grab the last playoff spot. It took until game 81 to get in. Many forget that they were the Presidents Trophy winner one year ago. Adding Matthew Tkachuk and maybe Sam Bennett with their steamroller type of game means Boston will have their hands full.

Too many Bruins fans with regular season hangover seem to discount any chance of Florida winning this series. They're possibly right, but Florida splitting in Boston in the first two happens, all bets are off. Florida is playing their best hockey of the season right now and I see them having a legitimate chance at winning this series.
- PrinceLH

This would be a stronger argument if they had been losing a lot of games in the last two months.

The fact that they have had nothing to play for, and still won all the time is a little scary, no?

As posted in the Leafs thread, last night:

Florida in 6 vs Boston

Boston hasn't played a meaningful game in 2 months. Florida has the offensive talent and had to fight to get in, beating out the Pens, Sens, Caps, Sabres and Wings to grab the last playoff spot. It took until game 81 to get in. Many forget that they were the Presidents Trophy winner one year ago. Adding Matthew Tkachuk and maybe Sam Bennett with their steamroller type of game means Boston will have their hands full.

Too many Bruins fans with regular season hangover seem to discount any chance of Florida winning this series. They're possibly right, but Florida splitting in Boston in the first two happens, all bets are off. Florida is playing their best hockey of the season right now and I see them having a legitimate chance at winning this series.
- PrinceLH

I didn't want the Panthers in round 1 as i thought it would be a physical series. Good luck with this take though. The Bruins are a wagon and the Panthers are not a disciplined team. At All.

Can the Panthers win? Yes. but a lot of things will need to fall there way.

This would be a stronger argument if they had been losing a lot of games in the last two months.

The fact that they have had nothing to play for, and still won all the time is a little scary, no?
- Atomic Wedgie

The Bruins didn't have to worry for 2 months, because they built up such a substantial lead, that even a 7 game losing streak would have only halved their lead over 2nd place. The conference, as it sits, is so competitive in the top 6, that the other contenders would just cancel each other out. Bruins never did have a slump during the season, that in itself seems implausible, save the 1978 Habs who lost only 8 games in I believe was a 76 game schedule. Of course, there were ties back then.

I didn't want the Panthers in round 1 as i thought it would be a physical series. Good luck with this take though. The Bruins are a wagon and the Panthers are not a disciplined team. At All.

Can the Panthers win? Yes. but a lot of things will need to fall there way.
- Mahewman

Panthers can play undisciplined but they also play with a chip on their shoulder and play a very emotional brand of hockey. When thinking of the Bruins, I remembered the last time that they played Tampa in the regular season. That was a man's game, very tough and emotional. The Bruins prevailed but it was a close match and Tampa had a physical edge on the Bruins. I'm pretty sure that teams scouting the Bruins saw that trait and will try to exploit it. That was a one and done. What would a 6 game series played like that look like?

I didn't want the Panthers in round 1 as i thought it would be a physical series. Good luck with this take though. The Bruins are a wagon and the Panthers are not a disciplined team. At All.

Can the Panthers win? Yes. but a lot of things will need to fall there way.
- Mahewman

Forgive me, is this a typo?

Or an expression I haven't heard before?

The Bruins didn't have to worry for 2 months, because they built up such a substantial lead, that even a 7 game losing streak would have only halved their lead over 2nd place. The conference, as it sits, is so competitive in the top 6, that the other contenders would just cancel each other out. Bruins never did have a slump during the season, that in itself seems implausible, save the 1978 Habs who lost only 8 games in I believe was a 76 game schedule. Of course, there were ties back then.
- PrinceLH

So the Bruins played so well in the first half, they didn't have to worry about having to play well in the second half, and that's what allowed them to play well in the second half?

Like, a seven-game losing streak wouldn't have hurt them, so they didn't bother to go on a seven-game losing streak?

So the Bruins played so well in the first half, they didn't have to worry about having to play well in the second half, and that's what allowed them to play well in the second half?

Like, a seven-game losing streak wouldn't have hurt them, so they didn't bother to go on a seven-game losing streak?
- Atomic Wedgie

They didn't have the pressure and could play loose hockey, honing their game. If you looked at the Panthers, they had to win 9 of their last 12 games, or they would have been out. Desperation vs cooled out. A recipe for a game 1 shocker that would make this a difficult series to handicap. If the Panthers win one of the first two in Boston, this series will become a slugfest and the Bruins could see themselves playing in an elimination game that they never contemplated. It's not like Florida played dregs the last two weeks of the schedule to pick up points. Of the 4 teams playing for 2 wildcard spots, Florida had the tougher schedule. I think Florida played the Leafs 3 times, in the last 8 games.

Forgive me, is this a typo?

Or an expression I haven't heard before?
- Atomic Wedgie

Its just a hockey slang for a team that is so well built that they feel unstoppable. Maybe its a Boston thing.

"Bruins are a wagon right now" Like they are on a roll or win streak.

That felt harder to describe that i would imagine

Its just a hockey slang for a team that is so well built that they feel unstoppable. Maybe its a Boston thing.

"Bruins are a wagon right now" Like they are on a roll or win streak.

That felt harder to describe that i would imagine
- Mahewman

Never, ever heard of it before, but I will start using it.

Thanks

They didn't have the pressure and could play loose hockey, honing their game. If you looked at the Panthers, they had to win 9 of their last 12 games, or they would have been out. Desperation vs cooled out. A recipe for a game 1 shocker that would make this a difficult series to handicap. If the Panthers win one of the first two in Boston, this series will become a slugfest and the Bruins could see themselves playing in an elimination game that they never contemplated. It's not like Florida played dregs the last two weeks of the schedule to pick up points. Of the 4 teams playing for 2 wildcard spots, Florida had the tougher schedule. I think Florida played the Leafs 3 times, in the last 8 games.
- PrinceLH

You keep floating this notion that the Bruins were "cooled out", yet they went 16-4 over their last 20 games. They won their last 8 games in a row.

They went 10-3-1 in January.

9-1-0 in February.

11-4-0 in March.

7-0-0 in April.

Its just a hockey slang for a team that is so well built that they feel unstoppable. Maybe its a Boston thing.

"Bruins are a wagon right now" Like they are on a roll or win streak.

That felt harder to describe that i would imagine
- Mahewman

You keep floating this notion that the Bruins were "cooled out", yet they went 16-4 over their last 20 games. They won their last 8 games in a row.

They went 10-3-1 in January.

9-1-0 in February.

11-4-0 in March.

7-0-0 in April.
- Atomic Wedgie

My point is, they weren't anywhere near the point of missing the playoffs or fending off an opponent since Christmas. Now, if they were to lose home ice and down to three losses in a best of 5, how would they react? They've had no adversity for a very long time. Their opponent has been a game away from elimination for 3 weeks. Sure, Boston is the prohibitive favorite to win this series, but there seems to be an undercurrent of a desperate team with a spirit that doesn't give up. They have some ultimate gamers that hate to lose.

“Today marks exactly 27 years since the Florida Panthers played their first ever playoff game...against the Boston Bruins.
Tonight, for the first time since 1996, they meet in the postseason again.”
Game One preview: https://thehockeynews.com...ing-into-game-1-in-boston
Number 34 in goal for the Panthers

https://twitter.com/FlaPa...tatus/1648053722713579520
Let’s go Panthers!!

Here we go..!!!

Hot start. Hot crowd. This is going to be fun!

Once again Barkov, Reinhart, and Duclair do a disappearing act. Maybe Keith Tkachuk should give them another pep talk, Maurice isn't doing it.