Series Talk: 2023 ECQF - BOSTON BRUINS (A1) vs Florida Panthers (WC2)

[NDiesel]

I think its a bad matchup. if you remove the black and gold goggles you understand the Panthers are not a typical 8th seed. Theyll try to hit Pastrnak all series and your favorite pkayer Krejci will need to be 2011 like

And the other options for 8 seed wouldn't try to hit Pastrnak and Krejci? Care to explain why only the Panthers pose that threat? A 92 point team who has a losing record against playoff teams this year....sounds exactly what you'd expect from the 8th seed no?

 

[Kate08]

I forgot it was Patriot's day.

...so you thought Game 1 would be a matinee on a random Monday?

That's interesting.

 

[Grimey]

“I ain't afraid of no f***ing old ass Bruins with their wannabe goaltending and wrinkly f***s up front.

Bring them on. Panthers were one of the few teams to play them well this year. Tkachuk is going to drive an over the hill Marchand insane.

Panthers move on in 6 games as Bill Lindsay haunts the Boston faithful once again.” -Florida Panthers Fan


Game On
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Tkachuk will annoy Marchand? Oh shit...I hope that poster realizes soon that the Bruins also added Hathaway and Bertuzzi for him to pick on too.

 

[KrejciMVP]

And the other options for 8 seed wouldn't try to hit Pastrnak and Krejci? Care to explain why only the Panthers pose that threat? A 92 point team who has a losing record against playoff teams this year....sounds exactly what you'd expect from the 8th seed no?

teams that I worry most in the east about are Carolina Tampa and Florida. They are in their primes, point totals dont matter now, its a new season

 

[Smitty93]

Series is pretty simple: don't let Florida dictate the pace of play. They want to turn into a scoring race. Florida's 34-3-5 when they score 4+ goals. When they score less than 4, they're 8-29-3. Bruins can match the offense, but chaos like that is where upsets thrive. Keep the games organized and low scoring, and the good guys should come out on top.

 

[quietbruinfan]

...so you thought Game 1 would be a matinee on a random Monday?

That's interesting.

I took something from this board as legitimate information. You can stop scratching your head now.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

I forgot it was Patriot's day.

And Monday apparently

 

[GoBs]

Florida works hard but I think they gave it everything to make the playoffs
Hope this Bruins can get back to playing better team defense
Interesting to see the lineup

 

[GoBs]

One other note…The penns cleaned house
Not sure if Sullivan will go when they get the new GM

 

[McGarnagle]

 

[TD Charlie]

Excited to see playoff Krejci, and playoff Hathaway andBertuzzi for that matter.

 

[22Brad Park]

I took Bruins in 6 .No way they have goalie to beat Boston.

if you like GOALS, this is the series for you. Should be one of the highest scoring series of round 1 is my guess. We should see a 6-5 game in there

I'm excited. And I feel like Marchand got all his bad passes out of the way against Montreal. He's all out!

Should not happen with Bruins backend and arguably three # 1 D men back there

 

[KnightofBoston]

@Fenway

any word on when game 3 might be? Throwing a party on the 22nd and kinda hoping it's not then lol because generally people can't handle my fandom

 

[NDiesel]

teams that I worry most in the east about are Carolina Tampa and Florida. They are in their primes, point totals dont matter now, its a new season

Still don't understand how they are in their prime or how that makes them scary, but to each their own, you can fear Bobrovsky/Lyon and that poor defense.

Not saying it'll be a cake walk, but the Bruins have the advantage nearly everywhere.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

I got Boston in 6… I don’t think panthers can match the goaltending/ depth of Boston.

I do love Matthew tkachuk(favorite player behind hampus)…. And I did dream of days of ducks running lindholm/montour top pairing.

Panthers will make for a good opening opponent, it’ll get the bruins in that playoff mindset real quick

 

[sooshii]

@Fenway

any word on when game 3 might be? Throwing a party on the 22nd and kinda hoping it's not then lol because generally people can't handle my fandom

Not Fenway, but T&R said Friday 4/21.

 

[Mione134]

Fear no team, but only ourselves. If we stand up and play the way we've been playing all year. We win. It's that simple. Regular season is over. It's crunch time now. Every team will be gunning for us. So we need to do our f***ing job and take them out first. Physicality will be taken up many, many notches. So be ready and willing to be that. On the boards, let's play smart. No more bs passing or trying to get cute. If you're passing to someone, pass with a purpose. Hit with a purpose. Plat smart. Don't get goaded into anything. But protect the house. Protect your goalie and be ready if shit starts. I am fully confident in this Bruins group because they haven't given me a reason not to.


And for the love of all things good and holy. SHOOT. AT. THE. f***ING. NET! Good things happen. Pester it. Get the pp going. Our quest starts now. No excuses to not get it done.

 

[Secord]

Sigh. Can't say I'm surprised by the dogmatic thinking that has crept into this place for a while. No dissenting opinions allowed! Bruins in 7? Ridiculous! How dare you assess an opponent's strengths and how it might perform against in a tourney where every team starts fresh? If you do, you are not a fan! I don't get it. We all know fairly well what the Bruins are capable of. How is it now deemed treasonous to think about and say what their opponents bring to the table?

Panthers are a way tougher out than the Isles or Pens by a mile. They always play the Bruins hard, especially at home. They are fast and big, and will be more punishing than anything slower Pitt or smaller NYI could bring. Their best shot is, as some have said, making it a track meet.

An by shot I mean putting pucks on net. FLA is very adept at it. #1 in the NHL this year. Good things happen when you do this. IF the Bruins are guilty of passing up shots, as they have been in recent playoffs, especially on the PP, this can become a challenge. Why? Because scoring. FLA had the 5th best scoring attack in the league this year. Only Boston, EDM, Kraken and the Devils scored more goals in 2022-23. Much more potent offense than NYI and Pitt by a long shot. Bruins facing a dangerous scoring threat, with a top 10 PP% this year to boot. But it’s a cakewalk. Ok.

I believe TO will have an easier time dispatching the Bolts than the Bruins will have to beat the Cats.

Could very well come down to a homer series, like vs. Carolina last year.

Picking Bs in 7, hoping for 6. And hoping they win is all we can do by the way. If anybody on this board knows without a shadow of a doubt that the Bruins will prevail, then -320 should not prevent you from betting the farm+ and retiring in two weeks max!

And for the love of all things good and holy. SHOOT. AT. THE. f***ING. NET! Good things happen. Pester it. Get the pp going. Our quest starts now. No excuses to not get it done.

This

 

[BruinDust]

Panthers are a way tougher out than the Isles or Pens by a mile. They are fast and big, and will be more punishing

Their best shot is, as some have said, making it a track mee

Wasn't the whole story last year that the Panthers were so soft vs. TB that they fired their coach for it? When did the Panthers become big and punishing? It's basically the same team as last year. Big Bad Matthew Tkachuk averages less than a hit per game.

In the salary cap era, has a 7 or 8 seed ever defeated a higher seed by forcing the higher seed into a track meet? I can't think of any instance where that has happened.

We have seen lower seeds overcome higher seeds by playing uber-tight and waiting for opportunities. But that isn't these Florida Panthers if fast-break offensive track-meet is their game-plan.

 

[KrejciMVP]

Sigh. Can't say I'm surprised by the dogmatic thinking that has crept into this place for a while. No dissenting opinions allowed! Bruins in 7? Ridiculous! How dare you assess an opponent's strengths and how it might perform against in a tourney where every team starts fresh? If you do, you are not a fan! I don't get it. We all know fairly well what the Bruins are capable of. How is it now deemed treasonous to think about and say what their opponents bring to the table?

Panthers are a way tougher out than the Isles or Pens by a mile. They always play the Bruins hard, especially at home. They are fast and big, and will be more punishing than anything slower Pitt or smaller NYI could bring. Their best shot is, as some have said, making it a track meet.

An by shot I mean putting pucks on net. FLA is very adept at it. #1 in the NHL this year. Good things happen when you do this. IF the Bruins are guilty of passing up shots, as they have been in recent playoffs, especially on the PP, this can become a challenge. Why? Because scoring. FLA had the 5th best scoring attack in the league this year. Only Boston, EDM, Kraken and the Devils scored more goals in 2022-23. Much more potent offense than NYI and Pitt by a long shot. Bruins facing a dangerous scoring threat, with a top 10 PP% this year to boot. But it’s a cakewalk. Ok.

I believe TO will have an easier time dispatching the Bolts than the Bruins will have to beat the Cats.

Could very well come down to a homer series, like vs. Carolina last year.

Picking Bs in 7, hoping for 6. And hoping they win is all we can do by the way. If anybody on this board knows without a shadow of a doubt that the Bruins will prevail, then -320 should not prevent you from betting the farm+ and retiring in two weeks max!


This

well said

 

[Bruinfanatic]

A sick, twisted part of me is very curious to see the massive overreaction on this board if we lose Game 1. I know that's messed up, but its the truth.

That said, a team with Alex Lyon in goal, and Paul Maurice behind the bench, SHOULD not be a problem for this team. I've got Boston in 5 but I'm mentally prepared to go 7.

Of course there will be an overreaction,I know I’m more nervous going into these playoffs probably than ever before,sure I always hope they can win it all every playoffs,but I don’t expect it like after the season they just had.

 

[Bruinaura]

A fantastic article to read while we wait for game 1

 

[lextune]

I voted Bs in five, based entirely on emotion. Lol.

Obviously the only Florida games I saw were the ones we played against them.

 

[RoccoF14]

Wasn't the whole story last year that the Panthers were so soft vs. TB that they fired their coach for it? When did the Panthers become big and punishing? It's basically the same team as last year. Big Bad Matthew Tkachuk averages less than a hit per game.

In the salary cap era, has a 7 or 8 seed ever defeated a higher seed by forcing the higher seed into a track meet? I can't think of any instance where that has happened.

We have seen lower seeds overcome higher seeds by playing uber-tight and waiting for opportunities. But that isn't these Florida Panthers if fast-break offensive track-meet is their game-plan.

Wild Card teams that have historically made a run in the playoffs did it through really strong defense and goaltending. (2010 Philly: Anti Niemi; 2012 LA Kings: Jonathan Quick; 2017 Nashville: Pekka Rinne; 2019 Columbus: Bobrovski; 2021 Montreal: Carey Price).

Florida does not have that......

Bobrovski is nowhere near his 2019 level and probably won't even get the start for Florida.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Is Ullmark healthy?

Is Bergeron healthy?

Is Marchand going to return to form?

How about Hall? Hasn't looked good.

Playoff Grz?

Will they win? YES