The Bruins have the opportunity to avenge last year’s elimination

(1A) Florida Panthers vs (2A) Boston Bruins

Panthers : 52-24-6, 110 points; defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the first round;
Bruins : 47-20-15, 109 points; defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in the first round;
Clash this season : BIM 4-0-0; FLA 0-2-2
Match No. 1 : Saturday at Florida (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Taken 2.

The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers played an epic first-round series last year, with the Panthers triumphing in a dramatic Game 7. This season, they meet in the second round in what promises to be a battle between two teams that are quickly becoming rivals.

The Bruins have defeated the Panthers four times this season, including twice in overtime. But the games that really mattered came last spring, when the Bruins entered the playoffs as favorites after setting NHL records for wins (65) and points (135). However, they saw the Panthers win in seven games, even though they held a 3–1 series lead after Game 4.

“It’s no secret, we’re sectional rivals,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. We met four times. And seven times (in the playoffs last season). We’ve argued enough. We know each other. »

There is no doubt that the Bruins want a different result this time.

“We have a challenge ahead of us and we know it,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. – We haven’t won anything yet. We were simply given the right to play in the second round. »

The Panthers are aiming for another trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, which they eventually reached after eliminating the Bruins last year.

Does that make them the favorites?

“It’s up to you,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov replied. “We’re focused on our game. We know how to play, we know how to be aggressive and that’s what we’re going to do.” We have the same approach as last year. We want to work harder than any team we play, so the opponent doesn’t matter. We want to be at our best in every meeting. It is not up to us to choose who the favorites are. »