Panthers – Bruins: Sam Bennett to miss Game 2 vs. Boston

After a disappointing 5-1 loss in Game 1, the Florida Panthers will try and even up the series later tonight in Sunrise. 

The Panthers aren’t strangers when it comes to facing an early series deficit. In the first round last year, they lost Game 1 to the Bruins before winning Game 2, 6-3.

They’ll need to do the same tonight at home, otherwise they’ll be flying to Boston, down 2-0. 

Florida will once again be without the services of center Sam Bennett (upper-body) on Wednesday night. Bennett, who hasn’t played since Game 2 of the first round, will miss his fifth straight game. 

Bennett has been skating away from the team this week and took part in a full skate with the Panthers’ scratches on Tuesday.

Bennett did not skate Wednesday.

Also on Tuesday, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said that Bennett would play in “one of the next three games”. Maurice gave another update before Game 2, saying Bennett’s “not far off” and that he expects him to be on the road trip. 

As for lineup changes, the Panthers didn’t switch up anything at morning skate — running back the same lines from Game 1. 

Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is scheduled to start his seventh straight game (4-2-0) of the postseason.

Projected Lines

Verhaeghe – Barkov – Tkachuk 

Luostarinen – Lundell – Reinhart 

Tarasenko – Stenlund – Rodrigues 

Cousins – Lorentz – Okposo

Forsling – Ekblad

Mikkola – Montour

Ekman-Larsson – Kulikov

Bobrovsky (Confirmed Starter)

Stolarz

Schedule — Bruins lead 1-0

Game 1: Monday, May 6 — 8 p.m. (Amerant Bank Arena) –  FINAL: BOS 5-1

Game 2: Wednesday, May 8 — 7:30 p.m. (Amerant Bank Arena)

Game 3: Friday, May 10 — 7 p.m. (TD Garden)

Game 4: Sunday, May 12 — 6:30  p.m.  (TD Garden) 

Game 5: Tuesday, May 14 — TBD (Amerant Bank Arena)

Game 6: Friday, May 17 — TBD (TD Garden)

Game 7: Sunday, May 19 — TBD (Amerant Bank Arena)