BOSTON -- The time has come for the Boston Bruins to begin their journey in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the first opponent standing in their way is the Florida Panthers.
Bruins have more than just another Stanley Cup title at stake in 2023 playoffs
The Bruins had a memorable regular season in which they set NHL records for the most wins and the most points in a single campaign. Will they carry that success into the playoffs and win another Stanley Cup title?
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It all starts tonight.
Keep it right here with our Bruins-Panthers Game 1 live blog for all of the highlights, analysis and score updates from the Garden.
FINAL, Bruins win 3-1
The Bruins have taken a 1-0 series lead. David Pastrnak (power play), Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk scored for the Bruins. Matthew Tkachuk tallied the lone Panthers goal.
Boston Bruins
Linus Ullmark stepped up in a huge way with 31 saves on 32 shots for his first career playoff win. The Bruins did not have captain Patrice Bergeron (upper body injury/illness).
Game 2 is Wednesday night at TD Garden. Stay tuned for plenty more postgame coverage.
Third period, 16:44, 3-1 Bruins: Garnet Hathaway scored for the Bruins, but the Panthers challenged the play and won. Hathaway clearly hit Alex Lyon's glove, which is goalie interference.Β
Third period, 9:10, 3-1 Bruins: The physicality is ramping up.Β
Third period, 7:04, 3-1 Bruins: The Bruins penalty kill is now 2-for-2. It allowed zero shots on that last Panthers power play. Boston had the No. 1 ranked PK (87.1 percent) during the regular season.
Third period, 5:04, 3-1 Bruins: Nick Foligno is penalized for holding and the Bruins will be shorthanded.
Third period, 0:01, 3-1 Bruins: The puck has been dropped and the third period is underway!
Second intermission, 3-1 Bruins
Second period, 17:32, 3-1 Bruins: Jake DeBrusk crashed the net and poked a loose puck over the goal line to double Boston's lead. Bertuzzi was credited with his second assist of the game.Β
Second period, 16:48, 2-1 Bruins: Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery has shuffled his lines a bit. Boston has only 13 shots so far.
Second period, 11:20, 2-1 Bruins: Trent Frederic is robbed again by Alex Lyon during a 2-on-1.
Second period, 6:34, 2-1 Bruins: The Panthers responded quickly with a goal from Matthew Tkachuk. It was a nice finish from the superstar left wing after a bad turnover by Dmitry Orlov.
Second period, 3:41, 2-0 Bruins: Brad Marchand has given the B's a 2-0 lead. Charlie McAvoy and Dmitry Orlov earned the assists.
Second period, 0:01, 1-0 Bruins: The second period is underway! The Panthers have 41 seconds of power-play time remaining.
First intermission, 1-0 Bruins
Both goalies were busy, and the Panthers easily would be down 2-0 or even 3-0 without a couple massive saves from Alex Lyon.Β
First period, 18:40, 1-0 Bruins: Charlie McAvoy is going to the penalty box for cross-checking. The Panthers will get their first power play of the game.
First period, 14:10, 1-0 Bruins: Panthers goalie Alex Lyon is doing everything he can to keep his team in this game.
First period, 12:47, 1-0 Bruins: Another great save by Alex Lyon, this time to deny Tyler Bertuzzi in front of the net.
First period, 10:29, 1-0 Bruins: The Panthers have spent lots of time in the Bruins' zone the last few minutes but Linus Ullmark has stood tall in net. Florida has a 9-4 shot advantage so far.Β
The game's physicality is ramping up, too. No one is passing up the opportunity to finish a hit.
First period, 5:58, 1-0 Bruins: The first goal of the series belongs to David Pastrnak, and it came on the power play.
Tyler Bertuzzi set up Pastrnak with a tremendous pass and the 61-goal scorer didn't miss the net. David Krejci also earned an assist on the play.Β
First period, 4:58, 0-0: The Bruins are going back to the power play. Their first PP was awful.
First period, 2:00, 0-0: A huge save by Panthers goalie Alex Lyon on a shot from Dmitry Orlov all alone in front of the net.
First period, 1:54, 0-0: David Pastrnak draws a penalty and the Bruins are headed to their first power play.
First period, 0:01, 0-0: Game 1 is underway!
7:35 p.m.:Β
7:15 p.m.: Here are the Panthers' lines and pairings to start Game 1.
7:10 p.m.:Β Here's how the Bruins' lines and pairings look in warmups.
Forwards
- Marchand-Zacha-DeBrusk
- Bertuzzi-Krejci-Pastrnak
- Hall-Coyle-Frederic
- Foligno-Nosek-Hathaway
Defensemen
- Orlov-McAvoy
- Lindholm-Carlo
- Forbort-Clifton
Goalies
- Linus Ullmark (starter)
- Jeremy Swayman
7:03 p.m.: Patrice Bergeron is not playing. Linus Ullmark starts in net for the Bruins.
6:34 p.m.: Here's an update on Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman from ESPN's Emily Kaplan.
6:02 p.m.: Panthers players appear to be relishing the underdog role.Β
5:45 p.m.: Here are some links to our series preview stories.Β
- Bruins have more than just another Stanley Cup title at stake in 2023 playoffs
- Bruins vs. Panthers first-round playoff preview, odds and prediction
- Five important questions for Bruins entering playoff series vs. Panthers
5:30 p.m. ET: Here's a hype video from the Bruins to get this live blog started.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.