The “Panthers” recognized the superiority of the Boston “Bruins” at home with 1:5 (0:0, 1:3, 0:2), ending up in the losers’ Eastern Conference semi-final series to four wins with 0-1.
The next game of the series will take place on Wednesday at the “Panthers” field.
In the 32nd minute of the match, Matthew Tkaczak put the home team in the lead, however, in the continuation, only the guests scored accurate shots. By the end of the second period, Morgan Geekie, Mason Lowrey and Brandon Carlo made it 3-1 for the Bostonians, but in the final period, Justin Brazeau and Jake DeBrask scored an empty net for the Bruins.
Goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman became one of the main influencers of the visitors’ victory, who managed 38 of 39 home shots. In the opposite goal, Sergej Bobrovskis saved 24 of 28 shots.
In the first round of the Stanley Cup, the Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 in the series, while the Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey players 4-3.
Balinskis has not made his debut in the “play off” yet, but in the regular championship, the Latvian defender played 26 games for the “Panthers”, where he scored one goal, two assists, eight penalty minutes and a neutral efficiency ratio.
In the final series of the previous season, the Vegas “Golden Knights” beat the Florida “Panthers” 4-1, and Latvian forward Teodoras Bļuger became the winner of the Stanley Cup as part of the Vegas team.
