The Boston Bruins had the best regular season in NHL history this year, and yet they still are going to have to win 16 games to take home the Stanley Cup, just like every other team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Bruins round one opponent in the Florida Panthers need to be taken seriously.
The Panthers were playing some great hockey down the stretch to make the postseason. They beat out the Pittsburgh Penguins to sneak in, and they have been getting some solid goaltending from Alex Lyon.
Every team starts fresh from this point on. Boston has not played in a game this important for a while now. They clinched their spot in the postseason early on and could fall into a similar trap like the Tampa Bay Lightning did in 2019 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Could the Panthers upset the Bruins in round one of Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Anything can happen. While the Bruins are the favorite in this series, that is all they are – the favorite. In a best of seven series, anything can happen, like the Panthers taking down the Bruins.
A hot goalie can steal a series, so can a team that comes out hot in game one and steals a game they were not favored to win. The Panthers could very well be that team, especially with the goalie tandem they have.
Lyon has been on a tear as of late for the Panthers. This season he was 9-4-2 and has earned the starting spot in game one according to head coach Paul Maurice.
"“I’ve got two good goalies, and I’m comfortable with either of them. But Lyon deserves to start.”-Florida Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice"
The other goalie in question might not be a bad option to turn to at some point in the series as well. He has some experienced beating teams that have won 60 plus games in the regular season – Sergei Bobrovsky.
Bobrovsky might not be the elite goalie he once was before he signed a long term deal in Florida, but he still has experience and can steal a series. He was a major factor in the Blue Jackets taking down the Lightning in 2019.
The playoffs are a new season! We will have to wait and see how this one shakes out.