Bruins playoff notebook: B's missed Bergeron's intangibles; Bennett the difference-maker in Game 2

The Bruins will head down to Florida with the first-round series against the Panthers tied, 1-1, following Wednesday's 6-3 loss in Game 2.

SERIES SCHEDULE

Game 1: Bruins win, 3-1
Game 2: Panthers win, 6-3
Game 3: Friday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. AT FLORIDA (TV: NESN, TNT, Sportsnet | RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub)
Game 4: Sunday, April 23 at 3:30 p.m. AT FLORIDA (TV: NESN, TNT, Sportsnet 1 | RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub)
Game 5: Wednesday, April 26 TBD AT BOSTON (TV: TBD | RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub)
Game 6: Friday, April 28 TBD AT FLORIDA (TV: TBD | RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub)
Game 7: Sunday, April 30 TBD AT BOSTON (TV: TBD | RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub) 

LIVE BOX SCORES

The Bruins fell uncharacteristically flat at the first sign of trouble in the third. 

Brandon Montour gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead just 22 seconds into the period. Boston had a chance to take back momentum on a power play 55 seconds later. David Pastrnak sailed a one-timer wide from his office, then David Krejci missed wide before Pastrnak missed another wrister. Charlie McAvoy sent a laser off the crossbar from the high slot.

The wind came out of the sails. 

Turnovers were an Achilles heel for Boston all night on Wednesday. When McAvoy coughed it up to Matthew Tkachuk, who fed Carter Verhaeghe for the dagger 4-2 tally, it was almost as if you could hear the air deflating out of nearly 18,000 balloons at TD Garden.

“I just think when we fell down 4-2, I didn’t think we regrouped or reset," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said Wednesday night. "Most of the year, we’ve been able to take a breath, reset and go back to our game. We didn’t go back to our game when it went 4-2. I thought we got back to our game in the first two periods, every time we fell behind we got back to our game."

During the regular season, the Bruins were routinely at their best in the third period, coming back from deficits, taking control of stalemates or (figuratively) stepping on the opponents' throats to put games away.

They had a 47-1-2 (25-1-1 at home) record during the regular season when leading after two periods, going 13-3-0 (6-0-0) when tied after two and 5-8-3 (3-3-2) when losing. Boston outscored opponents 113-59 in third periods (53-22 at the Garden). 

To see the Panthers hang four straight goals on the board before the Bruins could muster any sort of answer, a meaningless Taylor Hall tally with 1:10 to go, was jarring. 

"The No. 1 thing was, I thought in Game 1, our third period was our best period, and in Game 2, our third period was our worst period, which is very uncommon for us," Montgomery said Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena. "To me, it's not so much of X's and O's on the ice. It's more of a mental component of, 'Why did that happen to us?' We gave up two goals, one early in the second and one early in the third. I call those momentum goals. ... Those are things that as far as when we look at our game-management and our process, something that's been very strong for us, rearing it's ugly head at the wrong time.

"But that's playoff hockey. It's 1-1. It's a series. Let's get better."

It all came without the foundation of the club as Patrice Bergeron missed a second straight game. 

In Game 1, Bergeron's off-ice presence was key for the Bruins. Pavel Zacha spoke Tuesday about Bergeron calming down his nerves about the playoffs and giving him advice on face-offs. Zacha and Jake DeBrusk said Bergeron was with the team and in the room during the game on Monday. He was in the coaches' office giving feedback as well.

“He was around. He was around all day and kind of talked to us before the game," DeBrusk said after Game 1. "He was watching here in the room. Obviously, such a presence."

Montgomery said Bergeron's even-keeled nature has been important for the Bruins, even if he's not in the lineup.

"He doesn't get rattled by anything," Montgomery said Tuesday. "He promotes positivity, cool, calm, confidence - that I think permeates through the room. We keep him involved. ... He has a huge presence with us even if he's not on the ice."

That presence was missed in the third period of Game 2. The Bruins looked themselves in the third period of Game 1, limiting the Panthers to just eight shots, their lowest total of the three periods. Florida's expected goals rate in the third was 0.85, which was also a game-low, according to Natural Stat Trick. 

But on Wednesday night, the Bruins' worst period was the third. The Cats generated 12 scoring chances, a three-period high, en route to the 4-1 goal differential. Their expected goals ballooned to 2.53. For reference, the rate was 1.17 in the first and 0.82 in the second.

Tyler Bertuzzi said after Boston fell behind, "There wasn't that Bruins push."

After an up-and-down first 40 minutes in Game 1, the Bruins clamped down in the third. In Game 2, they fell flat in the final frame.

“I think that we just have to be better at putting a complete sixty together," Brad Marchand said postgame. "Even the first game that we won, we didn’t play all the way through, and tonight, we didn't have the best third. We’re at our best when we compete at our level for three periods. And we haven’t done it yet. We need to be better. It's a good opportunity to look at some tape and see where we can improve and try and fix that for the next one.”

The Bruins missed Bergeron's influence on the bench as they searched for answers in the third.

 "That's a human being that doesn't get rattled," Montgomery said Thursday. "His confidence gives energy to everyone else that everything is O.K. That's the way he carries himself on good days and bad days." 

Bergeron's status still in question for Game 3

No. 37 skated on his own again on Thursday morning, a scheduled off-day for Boston due to the travel to Florida.

Montgomery did not have a clear answer on whether or not Bergeron would make the trip.

"Well he skated just now, so that's obviously a positive sign," Montgomery said at Warrior Ice Arena. "I haven't talked to medical or athletic trainers about where he's at as far as coming on the trip."

The B's skipper says Bergeron's holding up well, despite being held out of game action in the playoffs so far.

"Obviously, he's in real good spirits mentally and physically," Montgomery said. "Just wishes he could be on the ice with us right now."

The Bruins are now 5-1-0 without Bergeron in the lineup, averaging 3.5 goals per game and allowing 3.17. The power play is 6-for-14 (42.86 percent), and the penalty kill is 22-for-22 without No. 37. Montgomery is stressing the importance of having a short memory after Wednesday's defeat.

"For me, we have a 'next man up' mentality all year along," Montgomery said. "Everyone's thinking about the one loss right now because that's the most recent. That's human nature, but there's a lot of confidence in our group about what we can do, no matter who's in the lineup."

It was the second day in a row that Bergeron has gone through the paces on the ice with the training staff. Montgomery indicated Wednesday that things are trending in the right direction.

"He's progressing well," Montgomery said. "He's day-by-day."

Boston also recalled Oskar Steen from Providence on an emergency basis on Thursday to make the trip to Florida. Steen had a goal in three NHL games with the B's this season. In 64 AHL games this season, he put up 14 goals and 31 points.

Ullmark reportedly sick in Game 1

On Wednesday morning's "32 Thoughts" podcast, Elliotte Friedman reported that Linus Ullmark may have played through illness in Game 1. 

"Someone said to me that Ullmark was really sick," Friedman told Jeff Marek. "[Jeremy Swayman] may not have been 100 percent, so Ullmark went. Someone just said to me that Ullmark gave them a real performance under less-than-ideal situations. Let's put it that way."

Swayman did not participate in practice on Sunday after becoming the latest Bruin to succumb to a bug going around the room. Perhaps it got to Ullmark, too. Although, you wouldn't have known it after the Vezina favorite stopped 31 shots en route to a win.

Bennett made a world of difference for Panthers

You wouldn't have known Sam Bennett hadn't played a game since March 20 after his showing in his return to the lineup for the Cats on Wednesday.

Bennett opened the scoring after slotting back in at his usual post as the No. 2 center on a line with Tkachuk and Eetu Luostarinen. Tkachuk had two assists and Luostarinen sealed the win with an empty netter late in regulation.

"It felt great. It's always tough when you're out for a while," Bennett said postgame. "It was tough watching Game 1 from the press box, but definitely felt great to get back."

He was instantly one of Florida's most effective forwards, particularly at 5-on-5. Bennett landed six shots, three hits and seven shot attempts, creating five individual scoring chances for himself and three individual high-danger chances. He was all over the Bruins. 

The Panthers weren't surprised to see him make an immediate impact.

"Everyone expected that," Montour said. "He's a dangerous player, especially in the playoffs. He plays the right way and he plays hard. It's great to see him back."

Bennett logged 12:16 of 5-on-5 ice time in his return. In that span, the Panthers had a 2-0 goal differential over Boston, a 13-7 (65 percent) shot attempt advantage and an 11-5 (68.75) edge in actual shots on goal. Scoring opportunities is where things became even more dominant for the Cats, with chances falling 9-2 (81.82 percent) in their favor and high-danger looks going 6-1 (85.71).

He and Tkachuk started the game with Luostarinen to their left. In just 3:48 of 5-on-5 time together as a complete line, shots were 6-1 in their favor, scoring chances were 5-0 and high-danger chances were 4-0. 

Both of the Panthers' 5-on-5 goals with Bennett on the ice came when he and Tkachuk had Verhaeghe on the left wing. In 7:21 of time together, the shot and chance margins weren't as high, going 5-4 for shots on goal, 4-2 in scoring chances and 2-1 on high-danger looks. But the two goals were pivotal. 

Bennett got to the dirty areas of the ice. His goal came right in front of the net, off a Bruins turnover. He had an additional three shots between the face-off dots, two of which were right on the doorstep. He had another attempt at the top of the crease that never made it on goal due to a block.

Bennett and Tkachuk have clear chemistry. The latter had a career season with Bennett as his centerman for most of the year. In Game 2, they proved capable of elevating their counterparts as well. 

“So, the interesting thing about Sam Bennett – somebody asked me this question earlier; they talked about his kind of point production is down a little bit. But, Matthew Tkachuk has had a career year; [Eetu] Luostarinen has had a career year; [Carter] Verhaeghe has had a career year, and all three of those guys have played with Sam Bennett for the better part of the year, and that’s his strength," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. "He drives the play. He plays so damn hard and drives the play. What do they always say about great players? They make the players around them better. So, Sam has been so important to us this year – even like in a heart and soul – he gets injured and we lose him; we lose the next four games. Now we’ve got to find a way to rally around that, but he’s been fantastic for us.”

With Bennett back, Florida's lines felt more settled. Anton Lundell dropped down to the third-line center, Eric Staal to the fourth, Colin White bumped over to fourth-line right wing, and Givani Smith drew out. Lundell and Staal are now in more appropriate positions, as of the current moment. 

The Panthers' forward depth is reinforced with Bennett back in the fold.