Watch: Panthers strike first in physical opening period vs. Bruins

At 8:04 in the first, Evan Rodrigues batted a rebound past Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman. There was some brief controversy as one official appeared to signal that the puck had been knocked in with a high stick, though TNT on-ice analyst Darren Pang later clarified that the referee gestured to convey that the goal was legal. 

Similar to the series' first two games, Game 3 has already had its fair share of rough stuff with the teams combining for 38 first-period hits. Unsurprisingly, Brad Marchand was looking to mix it up early, but came out on the wrong end of a collision with Sam Bennett of the Panthers. 

Bennett, playing his first game since April 23 after suffering a concussion, wasn't about to be a target. After turning the tables on Marchand, he set his sights on Bruins' star David Pastrnak. 

Florida owed the territorial battle, out-shooting the Bruins 13-3. Despite only leading 1-0, the Panthers played their game in the first, winning in the dirty areas and wearing down the Bruins with physical, close checking.