SUNRISE, Fla. — From the edge of a crease, Matthew Tkachuk watched a twisting puck change directions and fly past the outstretched arm of Jeremy Swayman. Before he did anything else, the All-Star right wing wheeled around and pointed his left index finger at Aleksander Barkov.
The star center’s redirection was the third goal of the game for the Florida Panthers — a beauty, just like the other two — and improbably gave them a multi-goal lead on the Boston Bruins in the second period. After spending nearly the entire first period backed up in their own end of the ice and overwhelmed by the league’s best, the Panthers clawed back with one of their most impressive periods of the year. Tkachuk added a fourth goal — again on a power-play deflection — just a few moments before the second period ended and Florida turned a tie game into a three-goal lead at the second intermission.
In the third, the Panthers finished off the 5-2 win in Sunrise to hand the Bruins only their third loss of the season — and their most lopsided defeat yet.
