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DeBrusk Beats Habs in OT

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MONTREAL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jake DeBrusk scored the game-winning goal 25 seconds into overtime as the Boston Bruins beat the host Canadiens 2-1 on Thursday night.

DeBrusk drove to the net and slipped home a backhand shot after taking a pass from Boston captain Brad Marchand on a two-on-one rush.

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Danton Heinen scored his fourth goal against Montreal this season, helping Boston go 3-0-1 against the Canadiens.

Linus Ullmark made 18 saves as the Bruins logged their third victory in four games.

Boston had a 24-19 advantage in shots on goal, scoring on the only shot of overtime.

Nick Suzuki scored Montreal’s lone goal, and Sam Montembeault stopped 22 shots.

The Canadiens have lost three of four (1-2-1).

Boston (24) and Montreal (21) have played the first and third-most overtime games, respectively, in the NHL this season.

The Bruins went 0-for-4 on the power play. The Canadiens were 0-for-3.

The Bruins scored first 4:49 into the first period when Heinen slotted home his own rebound while falling to the ice low in the left circle. Montembeault made saves on David Pastrnak’s drive from the opposite side and then initially on Heinen before the goal.

Three Boston hit the post in the first period to keep the Bruins from furthering their lead, including a Charlie Coyle backhander at the 8:03 mark early on the opening power play.

Suzuki’s goal at 14:37 made it a 1-1 game entering the first intermission. Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo turned the puck over to Suzuki in the left circle, where an initial shot was blocked to Juraj Slafkovsky and passed back through traffic for an open shot.

The teams combined for just 11 shots in a scoreless second period, with Montembeault nearly getting a piece of Pastrnak’s shot on the breakaway that hit the outside of the post.

Montreal killed Suzuki’s four-minute penalty for a high stick to the face of Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy in the last eight minutes of regulation, despite Boston rookie Justin Brazeau’s hard work at the net front looking for a go-ahead goal.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Ready for Visiting Oilers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Coach Jim Montgomery knew exactly what he was looking for out of his Boston Bruins team.

“We’ve been talking about getting our game going — and raising our level to get ready for the playoffs,” Montgomery said of the aftermath of a 5-1 road loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday.

Mission accomplished.

Just a night after a complete team effort produced a 4-1 road win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bruins will look to continue down the right track on Tuesday when they entertain another high-skill team in the visiting Edmonton Oilers.

Not only did Pavel Zacha post his first multi-goal game of the season and Morgan Geekie score his fourth goal in three games, but Jeremy Swayman’s 32-save effort backstopped a gem of a game that had often been missing of late.

“The whole game (was strong). We finally put up a good 60 minutes,” Bruins forward David Pastrnak said. “It’s a huge step forward, and a big win for our team.”

Pastrnak dished out three assists against Toronto, giving him eight points in his last four games and 90 for the season. The top-scoring winger is the eighth player in Bruins franchise history to reach that mark in consecutive seasons.

Prior to Monday, Boston had allowed three or more goals in 10 of its previous 11 games dating back to a 4-0 shutout of the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 8. That game was also the last in which Boston had more than a two-goal lead through two periods.

The Bruins, who are just 5-4-5 since the All-Star break, will look to carry Monday’s momentum into a stretch that includes seven out of eight games on home ice.

A chance at sweeping the four-game season series from Toronto comes on Thursday.

“We take the positive out of it (whether an effort like Saturday’s or Monday’s), we learn,” Pastrnak said.

The Oilers — who sit second in the Pacific Division but with four games in hand on the first-place Vancouver Canucks — are on a four-game win streak and begin a four-game road trip after cruising to a 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

It was a good day up and down the Edmonton lineup as six players recorded multiple points, including Zach Hyman (two goals), Leon Draisaitl (three assists), Connor McDavid and Ryan McLeod (one goal, one assist each).

“You need those games every once in a while, but we put a lot of work into creating a game like that. It doesn’t just happen,” Draisaitl said. “We put a lot of work into it and did the little things right. Every once in a while a game like that is nice.”

Draisaitl has three goals and 10 points across his last six games.

McDavid is on an 11-game point streak over which he has posted 26 points, 24 of which are assists.

Despite those incredible scoring talents, great goaltending has been a key to the recent run. Calvin Pickard, who has won eight of his 11 starts, made 22 stops against Pittsburgh.

“Maybe three of the (last four games) we could have easily lost,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Goaltending was outstanding. So, good defense usually wins you games. You look at our goals-against, down. And also our penalty kill is looking a lot better than it had been previously.”

–Field Level Media

Lightning’s Hagel Burns Bruins in OT

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TAMPA-ST. PETE – Tampa’s Brandon Hagel scored on a breakaway 1:19 into overtime as the Tampa Bay Lightning took down the NHL’s top club, topping the visiting Boston Bruins 5-4 on Monday night.

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After winning the overtime face-off and keeping possession the entire three-on-three session, Victor Hedman found Hagel on a breakaway off a line change.

Hagel slipped his ninth goal through the legs of goaltender Jeremy Swayman (41 saves) as the Lightning won for the first time in five overtime games.

Hagel and Steven Stamkos each had a goal and an assist, while Tanner Jeannot, Nicholas Paul and Austin Watson scored to help Tampa Bay improve to 6-2-2 at home and win its third straight game. Goalie Jonas Johansson stopped 23 shots.

David Pastrnak recorded a goal and an assist, and Pavel Zacha and John Beecher each scored for the Bruins, who dropped to 7-1-2 in their past 10 games and are 2-3 in overtime.

To open the second game on their three-game homestand, the Lightning went up 1-0 on a delayed penalty, as Jeannot scored his fourth goal at 6:39.

However, the visitors scored the equalizer off a turnover when Pastrnak skated in and reversed a pass to Zacha, who deposited his seventh goal at 9:55.

During a testy second period that resulted in three of the six minor penalties being for roughing, the Lightning had a five-on-three and four-on-three power play.

But Paul put his club up 2-1 when he deflected in a wide shot from Mikhail Sergachev with 30 seconds remaining in the frame.

Starting the third trailing for just the second time in 17 games, the Bruins evened it 2-all when Pastrnak blistered his 12th goal from way above the left circle at 6:26, then the club quickly took its first lead.

It kept the puck in the offensive zone, and the puck found its way to Beecher, who slipped his second tally by Johansson just 82 seconds after Pastrnak’s goal.

On his first point of the season, Watson flipped in the game-tying goal from the bottom of the right circle less than a minute later.

James van Riemsdyk won a battle behind the Lightning goal and put the puck on Coyle’s stick for his sixth tally at 16:09.

However, Stamkos’ seventh marker tied it with. 4.8 seconds left to send the match to overtime.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Face Slow-Start Lightning

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TAMPA BAY – The Lightning host the Boston Bruins tonight knowing they have finally conquered one of their biggest nemeses this season — the third period. On Saturday afternoon, the Lightning spotted the Edmonton Oilers a 2-0 lead in the first period but rallied back, eventually winning 6-4 to break a three-game home losing streak.

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In the win, coach Jon Cooper’s team beat the dreaded third period, which had been an enormous hurdle to overcome, filled with blown leads that led to regulation and overtime defeats.

The Lightning scored four times in the final frame, including the last three tallies — the equalizer from Steven Stamkos on the power play, the game-winner via Luke Glendening and empty-net insurance from Mikhail Sergachev.

“The season’s still fairly new, but we’ve not been a great third-period team this year,” Cooper said. “So for us to come out and be behind and pull it out and push the way we did, it’s great for our morale.”

Tampa Bay won for the first time in which it trailed entering the third period, improving to 1-5-2 in those instances.

“I think maybe earlier in the year, we might find a way to only get that to overtime or actually lose the game. I just liked the way the guys dug in,” said Cooper, whose group managed to keep high-scoring Edmonton stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl off the scoresheet.

Nikita Kucherov filled his scoresheet with two goals and an assist. It was the 71st time the right wing has produced three points in a match, placing him third in franchise history behind Stamkos (97) and Martin St. Louis (73).

Just as they did last season when they roared through the regular season en route to winning the Presidents’ Trophy, the Bruins are running roughshod from city to city in the NHL — winning 13 times in 16 contests. Boston’s lone regulation loss was 5-4 in Detroit against the improved Red Wings.

A two-game trip to the Sunshine State will provide ample opportunity for the first-place Bruins to see where they stack up against other Atlantic Division powers.

The Lightning and Bruins have met twice in the Stanley Cup conference semifinals since the 2017-18 season. Tampa Bay won the series both times.

The Florida Panthers, Boston’s opponent Wednesday, shocked the Bruins as a No. 8 seed in seven games in last season’s opening playoff round.

Saturday’s 5-2 win over the visiting Montreal Canadiens had Boston coach Jim Montgomery in a good mood.

“I thought we played the right way for 60 minutes — the way we want to play,” said Montgomery, whose squad lost 3-2 in overtime in Montreal seven days earlier.

Trent Frederic scored a pair of goals and captain Brad Marchand recorded his 500th career assist, while goaltender Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves. Swayman hasn’t lost in regulation yet (7-0-1).

Following morning skate, Montgomery and the team commented about the situation around teammate Milan Lucic, who was arrested Saturday morning after an alleged domestic violence incident.

“It’s tough to see your teammates and your friends going through stuff like this and their family,” Marchand said. “Yeah, definitely worried about Britt and the kids and Luc himself, but they have all the support in the world.

“Anything they need we are going to be here for them.”

–Field Level Media

Pastrnak Leads Bruins Past Sabres

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BUFFALO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – David Pastrnak logged a goal and two assists while four teammates each scored their first goal of the season as the visiting Boston Bruins beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Tuesday night.

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Danton Heinen, Brandon Carlo, Oskar Steen and Hampus Lindholm also scored for Boston, which extended its unbeaten streak to four games (3-0-1).

The Bruins never looked back after scoring twice in the first 4:09 and had 3-0 and 5-1 leads at the intermissions. Pavel Zacha and Charlie McAvoy each contributed two assists to Boston’s attack while Bruins goalkeeper Linus Ullmark made 32 saves, improving to 6-1-1.

Victor Olofsson scored both goals for Buffalo, which finished with a 34-32 shots advantage.

Devon Levi made 13 saves on 18 shots before Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen entered in relief late in the second period. Luukkonen stopped all 14 shots he faced.

Boston netted its second and third shots on Levi within a span of 1:08 early in the opening period. At 3:01, Heinen got the scoring started outside the crease, burying the rebound of McAvoy’s shot from above the right circle.

Pastrnak caught Zacha’s cross-ice pass for a one-time goal from the left circle, doubling the Bruins’ lead at the 4:09 marker.

It was 3-0 after the opening frame. At 15:14, after Ullmark scurried out of his net to break up an odd-man rush, Carlo finished a great passing sequence with Pastrnak and Zacha as the trailer coming down the slot at the other end.

 

 

The Boston lead ballooned to 4-0 at 4:07 of the second. Buffalo defenseman Owen Power turned a puck over right to Steen, who was left wide open in the left circle for a finish through a screen.

The Bruins continued the scoring on the power play when Pastrnak set up Lindholm’s shot from the center point at 12:23.

Olofsson got the Sabres on the board with 4:53 left in the middle frame, collecting the carom of Power’s shot off the end wall.

Olofsson spun in the slot and buried JJ Peterka’s feed with 4:48 remaining, but the Sabres could not find another goal on a late 6-on-4 with Luukkonen pulled.

Sabres forward Tage Thompson suffered separate lower-body and upper-body injuries during the game. After being initially listed as questionable to return in the first period, he took four shifts in the second period and was forced out after taking McAvoy’s shot off the hand.

Buffalo captain Kyle Okposo became the 381st skater in NHL history to reach 1,000 games played and the 12th to do so as a Sabre.

–Field Level Media

NHL: Bruins All About Execution

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BUFFALO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins play another Atlantic Division rival for the first time this season when they conclude a two-game road trip against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.

Even after being bolstered by defenseman Charlie McAvoy’s return from his four-game, NHL-issued suspension and Pavel Zacha scoring 36 seconds in, the Bruins suffered their second straight blemish against a divisional foe with Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss at Montreal.

Although the loss was only Boston’s second in seven games (5-1-1), the effort led to a hard skate at Monday’s practice.

“Energy, focus, we made mental and physical mistakes,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said when asked what was lacking against the Canadiens. “Our execution was not what we’ve become accustomed to.”

Brad Marchand led the Bruins with a goal and an assist, and Jeremy Swayman made several key stops among his 24 despite ultimately taking his first loss (6-0-1).

“I think we’re a team that needs to get two points almost every night,” Swayman said. “So, a lot of learning (from Saturday). Going to the third with a lead, you want to close that out. So, I want to have a couple more saves there and it’s just not good enough.”

As Boston continues a true goalie rotation, Linus Ullmark is in line to take the net on Tuesday.

The Bruins will need to give it a better 60-minute effort going forward, especially as a stretch of seven games in 13 days begins when Montreal makes a return visit to Boston on Saturday. The points will soon be coming faster.

“Our schedule has been a little unorthodox (with) a lot of spacing between games,” Montgomery said. “Last year, the spacing was time to rest. This year, we haven’t had as many 3-in-4s so far. … After this week, we’ll start to ramp it up.”

Tuesday will be a milestone night for Sabres captain Kyle Okposo, who is set to become the 46th active player to reach 1,000 career games.

“It’s a special day for everybody that helped me get to this point, for sure,” Okposo said. “For my family and the people behind the scenes that supported me throughout the whole way.”

The Sabres were shut out for the first time this season in Saturday’s 4-0 loss at Pittsburgh, playing without a key forward in Alex Tuch (upper-body), who head coach Don Granato said looks to be on target to return Friday at Winnipeg.

With Tuch’s injury and Matt Savoie being returned to juniors prior to Saturday’s game, Mattias Samuelsson played as a seventh defenseman after being activated from injured reserve.

No matter who’s in and who’s out, Granato is hoping to see a simpler game from the Sabres as they face one of the NHL’s top teams.

“Simplifying. It’s easy to say, a little more challenging to execute that,” Granato said on Saturday. “I thought we could have executed things a little bit more simple, more direct and when a puck is getting to the net, get there, get more traffic there. … There were moments we did, but not consistently enough. You don’t score, you don’t win.”

Goalies Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi have alternated starts over Buffalo’s last five games.

If that trend holds, Levi would play his first career game against Boston, the team he shared a city with while playing at Northeastern University. Levi won the last two Mike Richter Awards as the top goalie in college hockey.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Name Marchand Team Captain

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Boston Bruins named Brad Marchand the 27th captain of the hockey club.  

Marchand joins the ranks of past Bruins captains, including seven Hall of Famers and seven former Bruins whose numbers have been retired.

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Past Bruins team captains include Patrice Bergeron (2021-23), Zdeno Chara (2006-20), Joe Thornton (2002-05), Jason Allison (2000-01), Ray Bourque (1985-2000), Rick Middleton (1985-88), Terry O’Reilly (1983-85), Wayne Cashman (1977-83), Johnny Bucyk (1966-67 and 1973-77), Leo Boivin (1963-66), Don McKenney (1961-63), Ferny Flaman (1955-61), Ed Sandford (1954-55), Milt Schmidt (1947-54), Bobby Bauer (1946-47), John Crawford (1945-46), Bill Cowley (1944-45), Ralph ‘Cooney’ Weiland (1937-39), Red Beattie (1936-37), Eddie Shore (1935-36), Nels Stewart (1934-35), Marty Barry (1933-34), Aubrey ‘Dit’ Clapper (1932-33 and 1939-44), George Owen (1931-32), Lionel Hitchman (1928-31) and Sprague Cleghorn (1925-28).

“I am extremely proud of Brad and the hockey player he has become,” said Boston Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs. “Brad has been a Bruin for over 15 years and had the opportunity to learn from great leaders in Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron. He is ready for this opportunity and our whole team will learn from his competitive nature and tenacity. I am confident he will represent our organization with heart and grit.”  

Entering his 15th NHL season, all with the Bruins, the Halifax, Nova Scotia native ranks eighth in franchise history in games played (947), fourth in game-winning goals (71), sixth in goals (372), ninth in assists (490) and seventh in points (862). The 5-foot-9, 176-pound winger also ranks fifth in playoff games played (146), second in playoff goals (53), fourth in playoff assists (75) and second in playoff points (128). 

“When Patrice [Bergeron] let us know that he’s retiring, shortly thereafter Don [Sweeney], Monty [Jim Montgomery] and I had a number of discussions about who we thought should be the next captain and why,” said Cam Neely, the head of hockey operations for the club.  “Since my time in the organization, I’ve had Ray Bourque as captain, Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron. So, the things that those guys have in common were, not only were they great players – but they worked hard every day at practice and pushed their teammates to work hard. And Brad [Marchand] does that. He’s learned that, and he’s had some good mentors, for sure. And he’s come a long way in his career, both on the ice off the ice, maturity wise. So we felt he’d be a really good next captain for this organization.”

Among active NHL players, Marchand ranks first in plus-minus (plus-290), seventh in game-winning goals, 10th in goals, 18th in assists and 12th in points. Marchand also ranks 11th among active players in playoff games played and sixth in playoff goals, playoff assists and playoff points. 

Marchand is the club’s ambassador for Hockey is for Everyone, a league-wide initiative to drive positive social change and foster more inclusive communities through the game of hockey.  

Throughout his time with the Bruins, Marchand has participated in several community initiatives including Cuts for a Cause, Halloween hospital visits, annual Holiday toy shopping and delivery, and Pucks and Paddles. 

Marchand won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011 against the Vancouver Canucks. He played in 25 playoff games in 2011, recording 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points. 

In 2007 and 2008, Marchand won gold with Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championships. He represented Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Championship and World Cup of Hockey, winning gold in both tournaments. 

Marchand was originally selected by the Bruins in the third round (71st overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. 

Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak will be alternate team captains.

Krejci Retires from NHL, Bruins

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BOSTON – Boston Bruins veteran forward David Krejci took it upon himself to make the formal announcement.

“After 15 full NHL seasons I have decided to retire from the best league in the world,” he wrote and posted to social media accounts the world over.

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“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Cam Neely and Don Sweeney for allowing me to take my time with my decision and announcement.

I also want to thank the Jacobs family and the entire Bruins organization for believing in me over and over again and giving me the opportunity to be part of this amazing family for so many years,” Krejci concluded.

Gone, now, from the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup champion team are goalkeepers Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask, defenseman and captain Zeno Chara, and legendary forward Patrice Bergeron – all sure-shot Hall of Famers.

Back into the Black and Gold is Milan Lucic, but he’ll be the lonely torch bearer.

 

 

 

Oh, What a Knight

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LAS VEGAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The City that Never Sleeps has another reason to stay up late.

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The Vegas Golden Knights won the first Stanley Cup Final in team history on Tuesday night on their home rink in Las Vegas, getting three goals from team captain Mark Stone en route to a 9-3 victory against the Florida Panthers in the deciding Game 5.

Stone produced the first hat trick in the finals since Peter Forsberg accomplished the feat for the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and raised the NHL Stanley Cup in celebration in the post-game ceremonies.

The Golden Knights lifted the Cup in just their sixth season of existence to become the fastest expansion team in NHL history to claim a title.

“I can’t even describe the feelings in my stomach right now,” Stone said while still celebrating on the ice. “Everything you can imagine. The grind of an 82-game season, four playoff rounds. …. You grind and you grind and you grind. At the end of the day, the last team standing, it’s incredible.”

Six other players scored goals for Vegas, Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore each contributed three assists and Adin Hill made 32 saves in another steady performance for Vegas, which outscored the Panthers 26-12 in the best-of-seven series.

The Knights’ Jonathan Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He tallied an assist in Game 5, giving him 12 for the playoffs to go with 13 goals. He tied for the league lead in postseason goals this year and finished one point behind Eichel’s league-leading playoff point total.

“One night it’s one guy, one night it’s another guy,” Marchessault said. “That’s the mentality we have this year, just next man in has to do the job. We’re a bunch of good teammates in that locker room and we’re always happy for each other and everybody stepped up at different times. That’s why, today, we’re winners.”

Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart each had a goal and an assist, Aaron Ekblad also scored and Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves for Florida, which was outscored 21-7 in the three games at Las Vegas.

“Appropriate congratulations to Vegas,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “They earned it. They were outstanding. We didn’t have an answer for them.”

The Panthers played without leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk in Game 5 because of a broken bone in his sternum/clavicle area. The injury occurred in Game 3, but he played through the pain in Game 4 at Sunrise, Fla., a 3-2 loss that put Florida on the brink of elimination.

Maurice said after Game 5 that three others were playing with broken bones, including Ekblad, who competed with a broken foot since the opening-round series against the Boston Bruins.

Maurice said some of the injuries could take four to six months to heal.

“We’re going to have a hell of a time making the playoffs next year,” he said.

Stone scored short-handed off a two-on-one breakaway to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead at 11:52 of the first period.

Bobrovsky made a save on Eichel’s backhand try and then tried to lay on the puck in the crease, but it was poked out to Nicolas Hague, and Hague shot it into the net for a 2-0 lead at 13:41 of the first.

Ekblad cut it to 2-1 with a wrist shot from just inside the blue line at 2:15 of the second, but the Golden Knights answered with four straight goals before the end of the period.

Alec Martinez scored off the rush to make it 3-1 at 10:28, and Smith put away a between-the-legs pass from William Karlsson for a 4-1 lead at 12:13.

Stone scored his 10th goal of the postseason to extend the lead to 5-1 at 17:15, and Michael Amadio capped the barrage by scoring with two seconds left in the period to make it 6-1.

Ivan Barbashev scored at 8:22 of the third period before Reinhart scored 25 seconds later to trim Florida’s deficit to 7-2.

Bennett gave Florida three goals in regulation for the first time in the series when he scored at 11:39 to pull the visitors within 7-3.

Stone secured the hat trick when he scored into an empty net with 5:54 left to make it 8-3.

Nicolas Roy finished off the scoring with 1:02 remaining.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our team, our organization,” Marchessault said. “We’ve grinded for a few years, and it’s just unbelievable getting here.”

Florida finished 0-for-14 on the power play in the series to become the first team without a power-play goal in the finals since the Detroit Red Wings in 1948.

–Field Level Media

Stanley Cup: Panthers Alive and Well

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SUNRISE – The Florida Panthers are right back in their chase for the Stanley Cup Final after a come from behind, 3-2, overtime victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. However, as much as the Panthers have to celebrate with their comeback win, they still trail the best-of-seven series 2-1 and are aware of the importance of following it up with another victory when they host Game 4 on Saturday.

“That’s a big momentum game for us,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, whose late third-period goal forced overtime, told Sportsnet. “Now we’ve just got to win one more game.”

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unloaded a long shot from just inside the blue line that found the mark at 4:27 of overtime to cap a back-and-forth affair. It was his seventh of the playoffs and his fourth career overtime winner.

“We had to find a way,” said Verhaeghe, who added an assist.

With his team on the verge of falling behind 3-0 in the series, Tkachuk — who missed most of the first period because the concussion spotter pulled him from the game after the forward was on the receiving end of a hard check — scored yet another clutch goal.

Tkachuk buried a loose puck with 2:13 remaining in regulation while goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled for an extra attacker.

“Probably the gutsiest win I’ve ever been a part of,” said Tkachuk, who notched a franchise-record 11th goal of the playoffs and added an assist. “Proud of the team. We’re not done yet.”

Brandon Montour also scored for the Panthers and Bobrovsky made 25 shots in a strong performance. Bobrovsky’s biggest stop came on a third-period attempt from Michael Amadio while Vegas held a 2-1 lead.

The Panthers recorded their first ever Stanley Cup Final win. They were swept in their only other appearance, 1996 against the Colorado Avalanche.