Moving on! Florida Panthers knock out Bruins in Boston with late game-winner
Gustav Forsling scored with 1:33 to go to propel the Florida Panthers to a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins to eliminate them in Game 6.
Forsling picked up a bouncing puck near the front of the net, put it through Bruins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon’s legs and past goaltender Jeremy Swayman to give Florida its first lead of the game with 93 seconds to go.
“I just got the rebound and I was honestly just trying to get it to the net,” Forsling said. “I really didn’t see it go on, I just saw someone else react so it was amazing.”
The Panthers are headed to the Eastern Conference final for the second year in a row to take on the Presidents’ Trophy winning New York Rangers.
Pavel Zacha got the Bruins on the board with 52.8 to go in the first period, getting a breakaway off of a slick backhand breakout pass by Jake DeBrusk and beating Bobrovksy for his first career playoff goal.
Anton Lundell answered back with 7:16 to go in the second period, picking up a loose puck poked free by Carter Verhaeghe and beating Jeremy Swayman with a quick shot from the slot.
Boston had a big chance to take the lead on a power play with less than four minutes to go, but Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov blocked a shot with Bobrovsky out of position to keep it a tied game.
”That was a big block,” Bobrovsky said. “He saved the goal, saved the game and gave us a chance to win.”
Forsling scored the eventual game-winner less than a minute after the successful Florida penalty kill.
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Here are three takeaways from Game 6 of the second-round series between the Bruins and Panthers:
Bobrovsky big in key moments for Florida
Sergei Bobrovsky came up big in some very important moments for the Panthers, making eight saves in the third period on six high-danger chances.
Bobrovsky made 12 high-danger saves on 13 high-danger shots, with Zacha’s slick breakaway goal late in the first period being the only shot to best him.
”He gave us a chance to win and we did,” Barkov said. “It’s a 2-1 game, they had so many good chances to score and he was there for us and gave us a chance. We’re lucky to have him in that type of game.”
Lundell continues to come up big in big moments
The 22-year-old Lundell has been a breakout star for the Panthers in this year’s playoffs.
After scoring the goal which fired up a Panthers comeback in Game 4, he tied the game with another big shot in Game 6. He also played big minutes on the second line down the stretch with Sam Bennett being bumped down a line as he is still nursing a hand injury.
”It was huge,” Lundell said of his goal. “I think our whole team was just waiting for that moment that was going to give us more energy, belief and confidence again.”
Forsling with the dagger
Forsling earned the recent eight-year contract extension he inked with the Panthers with key defensive plays, but he officially made a name for himself on the national stage with the dagger.
He pinched up and found his moment to come through and he has now cemented himself as one of Florida’s most iconic players.
“There are different styles of defensemen,” coach Paul Maurice said. “But in his style, he’s the best in the world.”
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida Panthers beat Boston Bruins with late game-winner to advance
