Panthers Playoff Preview Game 1: Florida at Boston
Apr 26, 2015 13:19:34 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2015 13:19:34 GMT -5
Boston, MA - After leading the Atlantic for most of the 2014-15 season, the Panthers find themselves as the outside hopeful in the Division's 2-3 matchup with a powerful Bruins squad. Although the Panthers boast what seems to be an offensive juggernaut, GM Kevin Singh has tried to keep a low profile in hoping not to draw too many eyes to his Panthers roster. In fact, even when the Panthers traded for reigning Art Ross trophy Winner Sidney Crosby and 40 goal scorer Alexander Ovechkin, Singh refused to hold a press conference to introduce the two. "We haven't won anything, so there's no reason to celebrate. We've brought these guys in to do a job, and now we're at the dance.. so we gotta start dancing," a firm Singh replied.
Going into the first game of the series, the Bruins and Panthers seem to be fairly evenly matched...with the advantage going to the Bruins in Goals for, Goals Against, Powerplay and shots for. Earlier during the morning skate, Sidney Crosby was asked what needed to be done to get the job done against the Bruins: "Well I think everyone knows how talented their first line is, so if we want to give ourselves a chance, we can't let them get theirs.. we have to force other guys on their roster to contribute. At the end of the day, we know that they'll rely heavily on their offensive firepower, so we'll have to see if we can exploit their defense."
Problem is, their last line of defense may be the Panther's biggest obstacle. Kari Lehtonen poses an issue with a 51-12-4 Record with a Save Percentage of .904 and Goals Against Average of 2.70. The Panthers however, will counter with Starting goalie Jonathan Bernier as despite trading for an "upgrade" in net, Craig Anderson has been an utter dissapointment. "Right now he's struggling, so we're going back with the guy that's gotten us here," Coach Doug Gilmour retorted.
Expect this to be a long, drawn out series with two teams that will surely have no issues lighting the lamp. The Panthers are focused on attacking hard and aggressive and will look to get out to a raring start. "The way we see it, is we want to take a split going home, the pressure's on those guys to win in their rink," Gilmour stated. "If we can take the first one.....it almost becomes a must win for them in Game 2, so we know how important this first one is.
Surely, as much as the Panthers acknowledge how important the first game is.......you'd have to think the Bruins will take a similar approach.
Playoff Schedule:
Game 1: Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins - Sunday April 26, 2015 3:00 pm on NBC
Game 2: Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins - Tuesday April 28, 2015 7:00 pm on MSNBC
Game 3: Boston Bruins at Florida Panthers - Thursday April 30, 2015 7:30 pm on MSNBC
Game 4: Boston Bruins at Florida Panthers - Saturday May 2, 2015 8:00pm on NBC
Game 5: Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins - Monday May 4, 2015 7:00pm on MSNBC * If necessary
Game 6: Boston Bruins at Florida Panthers - Wednesday May 6, 2015 8:00 pm on MSNBC * If necessary
Game 7: Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins - Friday May 8, 2015 8:00 pm on MSNBC * If necessary