Jeremy Swayman was outstanding all postseason for the Bruins, but unfortunately his final memory of it will be a season-ending goal he would like to have back.
With 1:33 left in regulation in a tied game, Swayman made an initial save on Anton Lundell, but then got beat short-side on a seemingly harmless rebound chance from Gustav Forsling.
Swayman said after the game that he couldn't see Forsling's shot, but wished he had done a better job controlling the initial rebound.
The Bruins couldn’t find a tying goal with Swayman pulled for the extra attacker, as the Florida Panthers closed out a 2-1 victory in Game 6 and ended Boston’s season on TD Garden for a second year in a row. The Panthers will face the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.
The Bruins closed out the playoffs scoring two goals or fewer in eight of their last nine games.
"The lack of our ability to score in the playoffs, in general -- you can’t win every game 2-1," Boston coach Jim Montgomery lamented after the game.
The Bruins started fast Friday, outshooting the Panthers 4-0 through the first four minutes and drawing the game’s first power play. As it has for much of this series, though, the power play only served to kill Boston’s momentum. They didn’t land a shot on goal, gave up a shorthanded chance, and dropped to 1-for-15 in the series.
The Bruins went more than 14 minutes without a shot on goal after that, with the Panthers landing seven straight, all turned aside by Jeremy Swayman.
Boston made another push late in the period, though, and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission thanks to Pavel Zacha’s first career playoff goal, in his 25th postseason game. Brandon Carlo stood up Carter Verhaeghe on an attempted zone entry, which allowed Jake DeBrusk to swoop in and make a great backhand pass through the neutral zone that sprung Zacha on a breakaway. Zacha proceeded to go top shelf on Sergei Bobrovsky on a quick forehand-backhand move.
The second period started ominously, with the Bruins getting called for too many men on the ice 1:17 in – an NHL record seventh too many men penalty of the playoffs. On this one, Andrew Peeke went to the bench for a change, but then stayed on and played the puck after Brandon Carlo had already changed on for him. That was the second straight too many men penalty that featured Peeke not completing a change and staying on the ice.
The Bruins killed that penalty, plus a Charlie Coyle interference penalty later in the period, but they did give up the tying goal in the second. With 7:16 left in the period, DeBrusk made a big block in the slot, but Parker Wotherspoon couldn’t clear away the loose change. Anton Lundell swooped in and snapped off a shot that beat Swayman low glove-side.
The Bruins had a couple great chances of their own in the second, but couldn’t convert. DeBrusk made another great stretch pass that led to a David Pastrnak breakaway, but Pastrnak couldn’t beat Bobrovsky five-hole. Pastrnak also set up a point-blank chance for Charlie McAvoy with Bobrovsky slow to get across, but McAvoy’s backhand redirect fluttered wide.