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Panthers use big third period to take down Bruins in Game 2 (1: 39)
The Panthers score four goals in the third period vs. the Bruins to win the game and tie the series up at 1-1. (1: 39)
The Boston Bruins were without captain Patrice Bergeron and fellow center David Krejci for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round matchup against the Florida Panthers on Friday night.
It didn’t matter.
Boston raced out to a 4-0 lead, then held on for a 4-2 victory in Sunrise, Florida, to take a 2-1 series lead.
Boston looked nothing like the team that gave up six goals on home ice Wednesday. It thwarted Florida for two periods, with 19 of the Panthers’ 31 shots coming amid a desperate third-period rally try.
“We saw Boston Bruins hockey today,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said.
And it came without two of their top players, both of whom remain question marks going forward.
Bergeron didn’t travel to Florida for the series and already has been ruled out for Game 4. Montgomery said earlier Friday that his star center is “likely” to return in Game 5 in Boston on Wednesday.
Krejci, meanwhile, was a late scratch for Game 3 due to an upper-body injury and is “50-50” for Game 4, per Montgomery.
Bergeron remains in Boston as he continues to deal with an upper-body injury that he suffered in the Bruins’ season finale against the Montreal Canadiens. He missed their Game 1 win and their Game 2 defeat to open the series in Boston.
The Bruins have not disclosed the nature of Bergeron’s injury. He had been skating on his own before practices in Boston.
Bergeron has been around the team behind the scenes, but the Bruins have missed his presence on the ice. Bergeron, 37, had 58 points in 78 games this season as their top-line center. He’s considered the best defensive forward in the NHL, having won the Selke Trophy a record five times. Bergeron wins 61% of his faceoffs.
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski contributed to this report.