Panthers reach Eastern Conference final for second straight year, eliminating Bruins in 6 games

BOSTON (AP) — Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice watched his team escape one breakaway after another and still manage to eliminate the Boston Bruins in six games.

So he didn’t want to overanalyze the team’s second straight trip to the Eastern Conference final.

“In truth, some of it’s luck,” Maurice said Friday night after Florida beat Boston 2-1 to win their second-round playoff series. “We gave up four ‘A’ chances in the second period that we just got lucky on that they didn’t go in.

“And that’s kind of what it felt like on the bench: It didn’t feel in control; it didn’t feel methodical,” Maurice said. “Everybody had a plan, and then they spent the next six games trying to punch each other in the face.”

Defenseman Gustav Forsling scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:33 left, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 22 shots to help the Panthers knock the Bruins out of the playoffs for the second year in a row.

The Panthers advanced to the Eastern Conference final, where they will play the New York Rangers. Game 1 is Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

“I’m not doing that. I’m not doing anything with that,” Maurice said. “I need a day off.”

Anton Lundell scored for the Panthers and set up the game winner when his shot was deflected to the left side of the net. Forsling came in and beat Jeremy Swayman on the short side.

“I didn’t see it go in. I just saw someone else react. It was amazing,” said Forsling, who scored 10 goals this season — one of them a game winner. “I’m not usually the guy who scores the game-winning goal; I’m out there trying to defend. It’s nice to help your team win, but I’ll stick to defense.”

Florida won all three games in Boston this series and six straight playoff games at the TD Garden. The Panthers also beat the record-setting Bruins last year on their way to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

“I would pay money to watch Boston and Florida play. If we did 82 games, there would be nothing left of these men. But it is hard and fast, highly skilled at times and brutal and violent at times,” Maurice said. “It is all of the best part of hockey, the Bruins series.”

Swayman stopped 26 shots for the Bruins. Pavel Zacha scored to give Boston a 1-0 lead late in the first period, but it was unable to beat Bobrovsky again. In the series, the Panthers outshot the Bruins 198-135.

Florida tied it with seven minutes left in the second, after a scramble in front of the Boston net that left DeBrusk on the ice. Lundell swooped into the slot and swept the puck past Swayman.

With the game tied and about three minutes remaining, Aleksander Barkov blocked a shot by David Pastrnak on a wide-open net.

“You want to talk about the highs and lows of emotions on the bench? That’s a gaping net and a legitimate block,” Maurice said. “We end up scoring the goal. It’s a little bit of chaos down there. ... So it was quite the roller coaster.”

Boston missed several chances to add to its lead in the second period, including a breakaway by Pastrnak in the opening seconds.

“There are too many possible inflection points when you look at the Florida-Boston games for me to be that arrogant to sit here and say ‘well this is how we did it.’ I have no idea,” Maurice said. “You could take the last six wins that we have and we could lose every single one of them.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Florida Panthers' Anton Lundell (15) celebrates his goal against the Boston Bruins with Dmitry Kulikov (7) and Matthew Tkachuk (19) during the second period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series Friday, May 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Florida Panthers' Brandon Montour (62) checks Boston Bruins' Brad Marchand (63) during the second period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series Friday, May 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Florida Panthers' Brandon Montour (62) battles Boston Bruins' Morgan Geekie (39) and Jake DeBrusk (74) for the puck during the first period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Florida Panthers' Gustav Forsling (42) scores the go-ahead goal against Boston Bruins' Jeremy Swayman (1) as Bruins' Parker Wotherspoon (29) defends during the third period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Florida Panthers' Gustav Forsling (42) celebrates after his go-ahead goal with teammates on the bench, including Vladimir Tarasenko (10), during the third period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Florida Panthers' Dmitry Kulikov (7) and Nick Cousins (21) celebrate with Sergei Bobrovsky (72) in front of Sam Bennett (9) and Carter Verhaeghe (23) after defeating the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery, left, talks with Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, right, after the Panthers defeated the Bruins in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Boston Bruins' Jeremy Swayman (1) and Florida Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky (72) talk after the Panthers defeated the Bruins in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Lauren Coughlin held onto the lead Friday in the CPKC Women’s Open, while Canadian star Brooke Henderson was derailed by closing bogeys at windy and smokey Earl Grey Golf Club.

Coughlin followed her opening 4-under 68 on Thursday in chilly and windy conditions with a 70 on Friday to get to 6 under, a stroke ahead of Hannah Green and Haeran Ryu. The temperature made it into the 70s after barely climbing into the 60s on Thursday.

“I think I handled it really well overall,” Coughlin said. “It was just really difficult to judge how far the ball was going to go with the wind and the crosswind and how firm the greens got. And they had some tough pins, especially considering the direction of the wind.”

Playing through a smokey haze from wildfires, Henderson bogeyed the final four holes in her afternoon round for a 73 that left her seven strokes back at 1 over. She won the 2018 tournament.

“Most of the day I was 3 under, so feeling pretty great,” Henderson said. “To walk away 1 over, that’s not the best feeling. But all you can do is move forward and try to learn from some of the things you did out there.”

Coughlin is coming off a fourth-place finish two weeks ago in France in the major Evian Champions. The 31-year-old former University of Virginia player is winless on the LPGA Tour.

On Friday, she had three front-none birdies and dropped a stroke on the par-4 11th. In two rounds, she's 7 under on the first nine holes and 1 over on the second nine.

“I putted extremely well,” Coughlin said. “Two-putted really well all day. Took advantage of the front nine, which you have to, and then kind of hold on on the back nine.”

Green matched Coughlin with a 70. The Australian is a two-time winner this year, taking the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore in February and the JM Eagle LA Championship in April.

“It was tough again out there,” Green said. “There was some pretty strong wind gusts, especially our last few holes, so committing to the shot you were envisioning was kind of difficult.”

Ryu bogeyed the 18th for 69.

“The weather is really bad,” Ryu said. “Is a little bit cold and so windy.”

The 23-year-old South Korean player won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship last year for her first LPGA Tour title. She was second last week in Ohio in the Dana Open.

Three-time champion Lydia Ko had a 71 to join second-ranked Lilia Vu (70) and Jennifer Kupcho (72) at 3 under. Ko won as an amateur in 2012 at age 15, successfully defended her title as an amateur in 2013 and won as a professional in 2015.

“It’s not easy — and I think the scores are showing,” Ko said. “Anything kind of under par the past couple days is a really solid round. I’m pretty happy with the way I started this week.”

Kupcho topped the leaderboard at 8 under after birdieing five of the first eight holes in her morning round, then was 5 over the rest of the way. She had a double bogey on the par-4 16th, four bogeys and a birdie on her final nine holes.

“I’m pretty upset,” Kupcho said. “I think in hindsight I still hit 15 greens. Like I was hitting the ball really good. Three-putted 10 and 11 and four-putted 16. I didn’t play bad. Just had a couple shaky putts down the stretch — and that’s going to happen.”

Lexi Thompson was in the group with Henderson tied for 26th at 1 over after a 73 The American plans to play a limited schedule after this season.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Lexi Thompson, of the United States, chips on the first hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh /The Canadian Press via AP)

Jennifer Kupcho, of the United States, watches her tee shot on the fifteenth hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh /The Canadian Press via AP)

Jennifer Kupcho, of the United States, lines up a putt on the fourteenth green during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh /The Canadian Press via AP)

New Zealand's Lydia Ko hits a tee shot on the first hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh /The Canadian Press via AP)

Korea's Haeran Ryu hits a tee shot on the fourth hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Brooke Henderson hits a tee shot on the second hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Lauren Coughlin, of the United States, hits from the fairway on the sixth hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Lauren Coughlin, of the United States, hits a tee shot on the seventh hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)