Preview: Bruins set sights for Game 2 against Panthers

Just the facts

When: Tonight, 7:30 PM

Where: TD Garden – Boston, MA

How to follow: NESN, ESPN, CBC, TVAS, SNE, SNO, SNP, 98.5 The Sports Hub

Know your enemy

• Matthew Tkachuk: 1GP, 1G, 0A, 1PTS
• Alex Lyon: 0-1-0, 3.15 GAA, .897 save percentage

Game notes

• The Boston Bruins are back at it to chase their second win of the postseason as they host the Florida Panthers for Game 2 tonight at the TD Garden! Monday is in the rear-view mirror for this Bruins team that has taken things one game at a time all year.
• The refs let both teams play for most of the game, only calling two penalties on both sides. More of the same should probably be expected. But the Bruins power play capitalized on their chances and the team’s penalty kill shut down any chances from the Panthers’ on theirs.
• The Panthers will likely play another aggressive offensive game where they crash the net on their rushes. But that’s what also worked to the Bruins’ advantage as they’d come down the ice the other way on 2-on-1s. Some of those 2-on-1 opportunities were led by Taylor Hall.
• Tkachuk registered his team’s only point on an unassisted goal, while eight Bruins had a hand in the score.
• Montgomery said he wasn’t happy with his teams 5v5 play. They’ll have to improve on that tonight against a Panthers team that gave the Bruins a battle at even-strength. The Panthers were able to great chaos out front which Cam Neely said this weekend was expected. But Linus Ullmark countered that energy, only allowing one goal.
• Ullmark recorded his first career playoff win with a .969 save percentage. He made 31 saves in the win and was calm, cool and collected between the posts.
• Patrice Bergeron’s status for tonight remained “questionable” according to Head Coach Jim Montgomery after yesterday’s practice. Montgomery said he’s “feeling better,” but we all still don’t really know what that means.
• The Bruins will also have to continue to pressure Alex Lyon who had a great game. For the Panthers, Lyon only let it one bad goal – Brad Marchand’s that leaked through his glove.
• Marchand’s game-winning goal in Game 1 was his 50^th playoff goal in his career, becoming the second Bruin in franchise history to hit that milestone, per the Bruins. Only Cam Neely has more playoffs goals as a Bruin than Marchand.
• It’s going to be fun to watch Tyler Bertuzzi and David Pastrnak work their chemistry again tonight. The two of them have really clicked and that connection was a force to be reckoned with on Monday.

See ya tonight!