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Panthers win back and forth game 6 at home to force game 7

*Photo from the Boston Globe*
Series tied 3-3
   There is no simple way to describe this game. Only chaos. Eetu Luostarinen had a goal and an assist, Matthew Tkachuk had two goals and an assist, and the Florida Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins 7-5 on Friday in Sunrise.

   With their second straight win, the Panthers have forced a deciding game 7, once again keeping their season alive. Anton Lundell had two assists while both Brandon Montour and Aleksander Barkov had a goal and an assist to add to the multi point party in Florida.

   Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky said that "It's a big win. It's a 0-0 score. The next game is the biggest game, so we have to be ready, be humble, but enjoy tonight. It's a huge win. It's a fun win. And I'd say it's a great feeling for sure."

   Montour started the scoring 2:01 into the game, making it 1-0 Panthers with a power play goal. At the 6:09 mark of the first, Tyler Bertuzzi scored on the power play for the Bruins, tying the game 1-1. Tkachuk then put the Panthers up 2-1 after the first period, scoring his 4th goal of the playoffs, assisted by Nick Cousins.

   The Bruins evened things up early in the second period. David Pastrnak scored on the power play, tying the score 2-2 with assists from Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand. Barkov then found the back of the net for the Panthers, making it a 3-2 game at the 9:22 mark of the second, assisted by Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaeghe.

   The Bruins scored two goals to open the 3rd period, with Bertuzzi and Pastrnak scoring to make it a 4-3 Bruins lead. Zac Dalpe scored for the Panthers to tie the game 4-4 before Jake DeBrusk put the Bruins ahead 5-4 with a shorthanded goal. Tkachuk, Luostarinen, and Sam Bennett then scored for the Panthers, giving them a 7-5 win.

   Goalies in this game didn't have great days, with Linus Ullmark getting the start for the Bruins. Ullmark was only able to save 26 of the 32 shots he saw from the Panthers, posting a .812 save percentage in the setback.

   It was Bobrovsky who started for the Panthers, winning his second straight game. Bobrovsky turned aside 29 out of the 34 shots on goal he faced from the Bruins, recording a .853 save percentage in the victory.

   Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said of the game that "It was a great hockey game. I mean, wow. That's what the Stanley Cup Playoffs are about, right? Back-and-forth all night long. It was that kind of game where there was just teams making great plays offensively."

   Up next, the series goes back to Boston for a pivotal game 7. The winner advances to the second round, the loser goes home for the year.

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