The series between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers has been mired in controversy, but neither team is interested in dwelling on it.
Florida, being the team at the center of the controversy, has no desire to discuss the matter further. Surprisingly, Boston is also not interested in using the available excuses to their advantage.
The Bruins are focused on the task at hand.
“We put ourselves in this position,” Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke stated on Tuesday, according to team-provided video. “We just have to take it game-by-game, day-by-day. That’s our focus here, and obviously you saw last series with what Toronto was able to do to us, and last year with how the series went with Florida and Boston… We’re do-or-die right now, so we have to come out with that mentality and take advantage of it.”
Peeke acknowledged that the Bruins are in a must-win situation and need to approach each game with a do-or-die mentality. He referenced the team’s recent struggles, including their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs and last year’s matchup with the Panthers, but emphasized that the Bruins are not interested in making excuses.
The Bruins are determined to focus on the present and take the series one game at a time, rather than dwelling on the controversies surrounding the matchup with the Panthers.
Panthers forward Sam Bennett has proven to be a significant thorn in the side of the Bruins in the two games of this series. His actions have directly impacted Brad Marchand’s absence from multiple games, stemming from an incident where what should have been a routine body check led to an upper-body injury due to a punch thrown by Bennett. Additionally, Bennett managed to score the game-tying goal on Sunday, a goal that should have been disallowed for a cross-checking penalty that went unnoticed by the officials.
Despite having valid excuses available, the Bruins have chosen not to dwell on them as they face the possibility of elimination. Pat Maroon emphasized the team’s accountability, stating, “We can sit here and point the finger, and fortunately that’s not what we’re gonna do. We had a 2-0 lead (in Game 4). We didn’t give ourselves an opportunity and we didn’t play good. You just gotta take it like that. We haven’t been playing good.”
The Bruins and Panthers are gearing up for Game 5 on Tuesday in Sunrise, Florida, with the game scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET. NESN+ will provide comprehensive pregame and postgame coverage for the matchup.
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