How the Bruins fall in Game 5 and their season ends on Tuesday night
How does Boston lose on Tuesday night, and have Florida just walk out with the series win on Tuesday? The first way is that the Bruins let the Panthers play their game without ANY disruptions. Even small disruptions give the visitors a chance.
Florida has overmatched Boston in almost every way throughout the series when they've been on, but when the Bruins have either been on their game or the Panthers have faltered a bit (which was really just Games 1 and 3), it has been a much more favorable outcome for Boston - even if it does mean losing to Florida, in Game 3's case.
If the Panthers stick to their rhythm of scoring on the power play, waltzing like a ballerina into the offensive zone, and skipping through the neutral zone like a flat stone on water, there is no way the Bruins can win this game.
Another way they lose this game is through the power of penalties, and I'm not saying because the referees are bad. Yes, Boston has gotten the short of the stick - hockey pun intended - in terms of whistles thus far, but that's not to say that their discipline has been any better.
If they lose this game, other than the reasons listed above, it will be because the Bruins could not stay disciplined and played for skates and went for someone's head, instead of attempting to play the puck and knock someone over in a clean way.
It's feels like Game 7 going into Tuesday night, even though it's not - puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN.