Down 3-1 facing elimination, the Boston Bruins went down to Sunrise and stayed alive, earning a hard-fought win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday to force a Game 6.
It's striking an eerily similar note to last postseason now, when an underdog Florida team rallied from a 3-1 deficit to shock the Cup-favorite Bruins.
This year, it's Florida with Stanley Cup level hopes, and Boston that's in the underdog role as a team that's pleased to be there thanks to a dramatic series win over Toronto.
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With a chance to end this second round series on home ice and punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final, the Panthers could not get the job done in front of their fans.
The Bruins got the party started quickly, as journeyman center Morgan Geekie continued to prove his worth in his first season in Boston with a goal less than five minutes into the game.
The second period provided the last goals of the game, as Florida winger Sam Reinhart potted his fifth goal of the playoffs to tie the game. Reinhart's phenomenal season has set him up as the most coveted free agent forward in July, but a Stanley Cup is the only thing on his mind right now.
Boston prevented Florida from taking the next step toward that goal, though, as star defenseman Charlie McAvoy buried his first goal of the playoffs to provide what eventually became the game-winning goal for the Bruins.
The story of the game for Boston was an outstanding defensive performance and another great showing from goaltender Jeremy Swayman.
Boston allowed Swayman to be peppered with shots in a Game 4 loss, but the Bruins tightened things up and only allowed Florida 20 shots on goal on Tuesday night. Swayman did his part in stopping 19 of the 20 Panther offerings.
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