The Florida Panthers are still alive in the Eastern Conference Playoffs after surviving a wild third period to beat the top-seeded Boston Bruins, 7-5, in Friday’s Game 6.
The series now shifts back to Boston, where the heavily favored Bruins will try to stave off elimination – and embarrassment – in Game 7 on Sunday.
In total, the two teams combined for seven third-period goals, three of which came in a four-minute span in the middle of the frame.
Jake DeBrusk put the Bruins up 5-4 on a shorthanded goal 10 minutes into the period, but the Panthers fought back to take the lead on goals from Matthew Tkachuk and Eetu Luostarinen. Florida’s Sam Reinhart would add an empty netter for the 7-5 lead.
Aleksander Barkov, Brandon Montour, Zac Dalpe and Sam Reinhart also scored for the Panthers, who got 30 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky. Reinhart capped it with an empty-netter with 28 seconds left – the seventh and final goal of the third period, four of those scores by Florida.
A Panthers fan celebrates after Brandon Mountour’s first-period goal on Friday night
Garnet Hathaway of the Bruins and Josh Mahura of the Panthers tangle behind the net
Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) scores a goal past Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark
Bertuzzi and David Pastrnak each scored twice for Boston, which got four assists from Brad Marchand and 26 saves from Linus Ullmark. Jake DeBrusk also scored for the Bruins.
The team with the best regular-season record in NHL history took one-goal leads on two separate occasions in the third period – and couldn´t hold either one of them. Now, they face a Game 7 on Sunday just to get into the second round against a Florida team that has already staved off elimination twice.
Not even three power-play goals and one short-handed tally was enough to give Boston a win, either.
The game started along the exact sequence that Game 5 in Boston did on Wednesday night: Florida took a 1-0 lead, Boston tied it, Florida took a 2-1 lead, Boston tied it, Florida took a 3-2 lead, Boston tied it.
Evidently, that´s when the teams decided a repeat performance was boring.
They combined for four goals in a span of 6:56 – this time, with the Panthers answering the Bruins.
Boston went up 4-3 on a power-play score from Pastrnak, Dalpe tied it for Florida, DeBrusk scored short-handed for a 5-4 lead, and Tkachuk got his second of the night 27 seconds later to tie it again.
And less than 4 minutes later, Luostarinen made it 6-5 – the Panthers back on top with 5:38 left, a sellout crowd in Sunrise waiving white towels in unison. Boston pulled Ullmark twice with hopes of netting the equalizer, had good looks at it in the final minute, but Bobrovsky and Florida’s defense held on and Reinhart banged a puck off the boards, down the ice and into the net to seal the win.
HURRICANES 2, ISLANDERS 1 OT
Paul Stastny scored 6:01 into overtime, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 2-1 on Friday night in Game 6 to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Sebastian Aho tied it midway through the third period for the Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen stopped 35 shots while making his first start of the postseason.
Cal Clutterbuck scored for the Islanders and Ilya Sorokin finished with 39 saves. New York was eliminated in the first round for the first time in their last five trips to the postseason.
The Hurricanes advanced to face the winner of the series between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils. The Devils lead 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Saturday night.
Derek Stepan started the winning sequence in overtime when he intercepted Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech’s clearing pass. Stepan skated up and passed to Stastny, who fired a sharp-angle shot from the goal line that deflected off Sorokin’s left pad and between his legs.
It was Stastny’s third career overtime playoff winner.
After getting outshot in each of the first two periods, the Hurricanes had a 19-5 edge in the third and tied the score midway through the period.
The Carolina Hurricanes celebrate after defeating the New York Islanders in overtime
Sorokin denied a backhand shot by Jesse Puljujarvi 2:13 into the third to keep the Hurricanes off the scoreboard. At the other end, Andersen saved a shot by Casey Cizikas less than 10 seconds later. Sorokin also had a nice glove save on Jordan Martinook at 8:17.
Aho from the left doorstep at 9:24 as he knocked the puck down out of the air with his glove and knocked it past Sorokin. It was his fourth goal of the series.
The Islanders outshot the Hurricanes 17-11 in a scoreless second period that saw both sides have plenty of scoring chances.
Sorokin gloved Brady Skjei’s point shot 1:03 into the second period. Andersen then gloved a shot from between the circles by Brock Nelson four minutes later.
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