Florida Panthers march on in NHL playoffs after long
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Before the final minutes even ticked off the clock at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday night, Florida Panthers fans — clad in red jerseys and waving light-up rally towels in the air — were singing goodbye to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tampa Bay’s season ended there, in a 6-1 loss to Florida in the first round of the NHL playoffs. And the Panthers will march on after beating their in-state rivals in a playoff series for the first time in four tries.
The Panthers won four of five games in the series thanks to stellar play on the penalty kill and some clutch performances from goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and their other stars. They’ll face either the Boston Bruins or Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round. The Bruins lead their first-round series 3-1 with Game 5 in Boston on Tuesday.
“Really happy for the players who went through the pain of not having success,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “(Aleksander) Barkov and Bobrovksy, when you’re a leader, when you’re the No. 1 goaltender and the captain, and you have a series that doesn’t go your way, those are the guys to look at. They have to answer for it.”