Game 4: Panthers Coming Home from Boston, In Control of Bruins Series

The Boston Bruins made no secret they wanted to run the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of their second-round series on Sunday night.

It was the Panthers running out of town with complete control of this series.

After the initial nastiness calmed down, the Panthers rallied from a multi-goal deficit and won 3-2.

The Panthers hold a 3-1 series lead and can win this best-of-7 series Tuesday at home in Game 5.

Dating to last year’s playoffs, the Panthers have won five straight in Boston.

Boston took a 2-0 lead in the first, scoring off just five shots on goal.

That was despite the Panthers being the better team — something they would continue to do.

Florida scored three unanswered goals, including the game-winner from Sasha Barkov, as the Panthers dominated all facets of this game.

The Panthers got their first goal from Anton Lundell late in the second before scoring twice in the third to get its first lead.

Sam Bennett, the new Enemy No. 1 in Boston, tied the score on a controversial power play try after shoving Charlie Coyle into goalie Jeremy Swayman.

Boston challenged, with the NHL saying “the subsequent contact with Jeremy Swayman did not prevent Swayman from playing his position in the crease prior to Bennett’s goal.”

Florida took the 3-2 lead at 7:31 of the third when Sasha Barkov barreled his way to the front of the net, going from the blueline in, switching hands and beating Swayman with a backhand shot.

David Pastrnak, who took the first penalty by punching Anton Lundell, got the game’s first goal on a Boston power play with Aaron Ekblad in the box for interference.

Pastrnak’s shot from the right circle beat Sergei Bobrovsky (16 saves) at 8:53 — and it was the first power-play goal of the series for the Bruins.

Brandon Carlo got his second goal of the series, the defenseman uncorking a wobbler through traffic to make it 2-0.

Florida not only outshot the Bruins 15-5 in the first, but had a 28-12 advantage in shot attempts.

Boston came out firing in the second, but the Panthers had a 28-15 shot advantage going into the third (51-33 in attempts) in a 2-1 game.

Lundell got the Panthers on the board, beating Swayman at 14:51 on Florida’s 27th shot of the game by quickly firing a pass from Evan Rodrigues through.

The game did have plenty of other stuff going on — the two combined for 77 hits through the first 40 minutes — following Bennett’s hit/punch on Boston captain Brad Marchand in Game 3.

Charlie McAvoy drilled Sam Reinhart on the move on the game’s first shift, with enforcer Pat Maroon challenging anyone who wanted to go — including Bennett.

Swayman and Matthew Tkachuk also got into it, resuming their feud from Game 1.

Reinhart ended up going to the room in the third after getting struck by a puck.

He did not return to the game.

Parkland’s Andrew Peeke also got hurt prior to Bennett’s goal, taking a shot from Vladimir Tarasenko while in front of the net.