Final, Gm. 6: Panthers 7, Panthers 5 - Boston squanders third-period lead as Florida forces Game 7

The Bruins will continue the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Friday when they visit the Florida Panthers for Game 6 of the first round at FLA Live Arena. Follow along for updates from Friday's game.

WHO: Bruins vs. Panthers (Boston leads series, 3-2)
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: FLA Live Arena
TV: NESN, TNT, CBC, Sportsnet
RADIO: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub

SERIES SCHEDULE

Game 1: Bruins win, 3-1
Game 2: Panthers win, 6-3
Game 3: Bruins win, 4-2
Game 4: Bruins win, 6-2
Game 5: Panthers win, 4-3 (OT)
Game 6: Friday, April 28 7:30 p.m. 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

PROJECTED LINEUPS

BOSTON

Brad Marchand -- Patrice Bergeron -- Jake DeBrusk
Pavel Zacha -- David Krejci -- David Pastrnak
Taylor Hall -- Charlie Coyle -- Tyler Bertuzzi
Nick Foligno -- Tomas Nosek -- Garnet Hathaway

Dmitry Orlov -- Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm -- Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort -- Connor Clifton

Linus Ullmark
Jeremy Swayman

Scratched: Matt Grzelcyk, A.J. Greer, Jakub Lauko, Jakub Zboril, Kyle Keyser

Injured: David Krejci (upper-body)

FLORIDA

Carter Verhaeghe -- Aleksander Barkov -- Sam Reinhart
Nick Cousins -- Sam Bennett -- Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen -- Anton Lundell -- Anthony Duclair
Zac Dalpe -- Eric Staal -- Colin White

Gustav Forsling --Radko Gudas
Marc Staal -- Brandn Montour
Josh Mahura -- Casey Fitzgerald

Sergei Bobrovsky
Alex Lyon

Scratched: Givani Smith, Casey Fitzgerald, Mike Benning, Evan Fitzpatrick

Injured: Ryan Lomberg (upper body), Patric Hornqvist (concussion), Spencer Knight (NHL/NHLPA player assistance program)

PREGAME NOTES

Linus Ullmark was absent at Boston's morning skate, but he will start in net, Jim Montgomery told reporters. Jeremy Swayman and Kyle Keyser were out for the skate.

Ullmark also missed the morning skate ahead of Game 3 before making 29 saves in the win. When asked if it's concerning, Montgomery said: "No. We weren’t worried Game 3 either. We just didn’t tell you."

Charlie McAvoy did not skate, but is good to go and will play. Montgomery said it was simply "maintenance" Friday morning after McAvoy played over 30 minutes in Game 5. Connor Clifton will draw back into the lineup for Matt Grzelcyk. The former will likely slot back in alongside Derek Forbort on the third pair, while Dmitry Orlov could bump up to McAvoy's left.

David Krejci (upper body), who is "checking boxes" skated in a gold, no-contact sweater. He'll take part in pregame warmups and will be a game-time decision. It was his first time skating with the team since being a late scratch after warmups before Game 3. 

"You've got to check boxes a little bit quicker in playoffs, but you know, we're uncertain of his availability," Montgomery said.

The lineup could return to more of what it resembled at the end of the regular season. Montgomery said, "The lines now are going to go back to somewhat we believe is where people’s comfort zones are with who they have played with the most," as they did in the back half of Game 5. He also said Thursday that Trent Frederic is "definitely" a candidate to return to the lineup. 

Paul Maurice told reporters that Ryan Lomberg (upper body), who did not play in Game 5, is out for the remainder of the series.

Neither Sam Bennett nor Matthew Tkachuk skated with the Panthers on Friday morning, but both are expected to play. Sergei Bobrovsky is expected in goal.

FINAL

The Bruins were discombobulated defensively, especially in the third period, as they squandered a third-period lead as the Panthers forced Game 7 with a 7-5 win.

Matthew Tkachuk with two goals and an assist for Florida, one of five Panthers with multi-point games. Sergei Bobrovsky with 30 saves.

Brad Marchand with four assists for Boston. Bertuzzi with two goals and an assists and two goals for Pastrnak. Ullmark stops 26 of 32.