The first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs delivered some pretty big upsets. The biggest one, without a doubt, is the Florida Panthers eliminating the Presidents’ Trophy winners Boston Bruins.
The Bruins finished the 2022-23 regular season as the best team in NHL, setting records for most wins (65) and most points (135) in a single season in league history. However, it didn’t matter in the end, as the wild-card Panthers put an end to their postseason run with a 4-2 win in the first-round series.
The Panthers secured the second round with a wild 4-3 overtime win in Game 7 on Sunday night. The Bruins were holding onto a 2-3 lead until the final minute of the third period when Brandon Montour scored his second goal of the night to force overtime.
It turned out that the Florida team wanted it more in the end. Winger Carter Verhaeghe got an assist from Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk to send the puck past Boston’s goalie Jeremy Swayman and launch a huge celebration for the Panthers.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Florida’s alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk told reporters after the game. “The talent they have over there in Boston is unbelievable. That we were able to do what we did after what they did all year … the fact that we were able to beat them in the playoffs is crazy.”
The Florida Panthers are now set to face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Leafs have previously eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round.