The classic 3-1 series lead blow, a tale as old as time. The Florida Panthers won 4-3 in overtime of Game 7 of the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Boston Bruins. The victory closes out a rally by the wild card Panthers, who found themselves down 3-1 in the series to the best team in the NHL this season, the historic 65-win Bruins.
The Panthers began Game 7 with a 2-0 lead a minute into the second period before Bruins center David Krejci got Boston onto the board with a power play goal. Krejci finds himself to be a reliable playoff performer, with ESPN noting, "It was his 43rd career playoff goal in 160 career playoff games." The Bruins would then find themselves in front at 3-2, scoring twice off of a Tyler Pertuzzi tipped power play goal, and then a David Pasternak goal at 4:11 in the third period. The TD Garden crowd lept up in excitement.
The Panthers were able to tie it with only a minute left in the third, with defenceman Brandon Montour scoring off a blocked shot by the Bruins' Patrice Bergeron. In overtime, Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe scored the game-winner to win the game 4-3 with a perfectly timed shot.
The overtime loss is a crushing blow to the Bruins, who set NHL regular season records with 65 wins and 135 points, as they sat as large favorites to win against the Panthers. Yahoo! Sports states, "Florida's upset was the biggest in NHL history in terms of point differential, as the Panthers finished the regular season with 43 fewer points than the Bruins." Veteran Bruins in David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron are both unrestricted free agents, and will be considering options for both their future in Boston and their careers. After the game, Bergeron "skated to center ice to salute the fans before the players retreated to their locker room," according to ESPN. This historic loss could surely be the end of a 16-year era for Boston.
“The fact that we were able to do what we did after what they did all year … they’re an unreal team and the best I’ve played in my NHL career. The fact that we were able to beat them was crazy,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said, as reported by ESPN. The Panthers' coach, Paul Maurice, would share similar comments, stating "I don’t think you can find a harder team to play against than the Boston Bruins. They will test you."
Along with a historic season being over for the Bruins, they also fall in line with the fabled Presidents' Trophy curse, where the best team in the regular season will have an underwhelming postseason. According to ESPN, "Since the 1985-86 season when the trophy was first awarded, 11 regular-season champs made the Stanley Cup Final with eight of them winning. No Presidents' Trophy winner has advanced to the Stanley Cup Final since the NHL went to the wild-card format in 2013-14." The last team to win the Stanley Cup while also winning the President's Trophy that same year was the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks.
Adding tradition to the "curse", Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had played with the Columbus Blue Jackets when they swept the Presidents' Trophy winner Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2019 playoffs. In Game 7 against the Bruins, Bobrovsky had 33 saves.
The Panthers will face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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