Florida Panthers

No Barkov, on the road, against a winless team with a good goalie (and former Panther, to boot).

Tkachukbowl!

The Panthers' trips to the finals these past two years have both been through the Bruins. Adding insult to injury is the Panthers are raising their championship banner tonight with the visiting Bs in the house.

Look for the Bruins to send a message tonight. What better time to set the tone than game one?

Edmonton's last game was a statement. Can the Panthers reply in kind?

One team with their backs against the wall, the other a win away from the promised land. The Stanley Cup is in the building and can be awarded tonight.

Expect desperate effort from everyone tonight.

The series transitions to the fast ice in Edmonton, making the Oilers' top threats even more dangerous. There's plenty of bad blood to spill on it, too; with memories of an egregious knee, a two-minute roughing call to the jaw, and a stick to the pills very close in memory. Discipline will be key for both teams.

Bob is a good goalie but he can’t save the day every day. The Oilers are going to throw everything at him from all angles as fast as possible. This usually works for them after a loss and unerringly after a shutout loss. The Cats are in for some real pushback tonight and will be fortunate if it doesn’t get out of hand early.

The first game of a best-of-seven between two teams with little reason to hate each other, yet. Crazy-high top end talent vs. crazy good team play. Dazzling offense meets grinding defense. A team who lost at this level a year ago hosts a team who expects to be at this level frequently.

The best team in the league in the regular season with their backs against the wall for the first time this postseason. Skill, desperation, and stellar goaltending will be the key ingredients to their game tonight.

What started as a best-of-seven series became a best-of-five and now it's a best-of-three.

The Panthers finally won one in OT after dropping two straight in extra time but now have to play in MSG. They must win there at least once more to advance. NYR's top line is going to wake up tonight.

Things look grim for the Panthers as the OT magic is gone and all their mistakes end up in their own net. It’ll probably just get worse from here.

Taking a win out of NY should have been a big deal for the Panthers, but losing the second game in OT was definitely a downer. Now that Laviolette has a plan that works, it remains to be seen if he'll stick to it now that Vesey's week-to-week. What lineup changes will Maurice make to better take advantage of home ice?

The first game was closer than the score and Bob heard a few shots clang off the posts. Shesterkin really only let one get by him; the second was a fluke and the third into an empty net. The outcome could have been very different. Will the Rangers change their lineup or their approach? Are the Panthers satisfied with their squad and strategy?

The Cats just squeaked past an amazing goalie and now get to face another, only this one backstops a team with better offense. The Rangers waited until the second round to lose a game, and they dropped two to the same kind of relentless forechecking team they host tonight.

ya know, I got nothing. the predicted ugliness didn’t materialize over the past two games, scoring is down, and Boston is 1-1 without their captain.

Boston can’t keep losing at home in the playoffs. it’s a statistical freak anomaly. This series is probably going to seven games.

no idea what to expect on this one. A desperate Bruins team with a healthy dislike for their host vs a relentless team that is hard to play against.

Florida's power play popped and the fourth line is all charged up. Swayman looks human. Bennett is a marked man and will probably have to answer the bell a few times. If the refs "scrutinized" last game, this one's going to be under a microscope.

Florida finally beat Boston for the first time since last season's playoffs but Boston earned a split in Sunrise and has home ice now. Florida must win at least once in Boston to advance. After two lopsided games, who shows up?

Smacked in the mouth by a hungry team. Couldn't get their shit together. Couldn't beat a goalie who is clearly in the groove. This is a critical game for the Panthers and they'll probably blow it by trying too hard. Odd bet: the game winner will be a power play goal.

A team coming off a game 7 OT win vs a team that hasn’t played in a week. Trap game?

The Bolts found new life while the Panthers showed up late.

Beware the desperate.

Coach Cooper's powers are increased now that he has home ice and the last line change.

This game probably won't have an EN GWG like last one.

Battle of Florida, Round 3. Tampa is 2-0 (4-2 and 4-0) in previous playoff series against Florida.