This Was Major Talking Point Among Panthers After Game 5 Loss To Bruins

The Boston Bruins got off to a stronger start in Game 5 against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday than they did in their previous second-round matchups. And following Florida’s 2-1 defeat at Amerant Bank Arena, the Panthers were quick to point to Boston’s opening stretch as a key factor. “They came out, they were on […]

The Boston Bruins got off to a stronger start in Game 5 against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday than they did in their previous second-round matchups.

And following Florida’s 2-1 defeat at Amerant Bank Arena, the Panthers were quick to point to Boston’s opening stretch as a key factor.

“They came out, they were on pucks a little quicker than we are,” Panthers forward Sam Reinhart told reporters, per the team.

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov added: “They came out of the gate really hard and got going right away.”

The Black and Gold took a 1-0 advantage at 4:49 of the first period after Morgan Geekie slid one past Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Boston recorded six shots in the opening five minutes of the period and held a 12-4 edge when it entered the dressing room after 20 minutes.

Panthers players weren’t surprised to see the Bruins play with desperation but they still didn’t match that speed and intensity.

“They came out a little better than us, got the momentum,” Florida forward Kevin Stenlund told reporters. “It’s hard to come back from a start like that. … They just won a little bit more battles than us.”

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice liked the response throughout the second and third periods. But the Bruins were ultimately able to send the best-of-seven series back to Boston after Charlie McAvoy netted the game-winning goal midway through the second period.

TD Garden will host Game 6 on Friday night.