Matthew Tkachuk is confident the first-round Stanley Cup playoffs series between the Bruins and the Panthers is going to go the distance.
We know the best-of-seven set, at a minimum, will see a Game 6. That was confirmed Wednesday night when Florida kept its season alive with an upset win over Boston at TD Garden. The Game 5 hero was none other than Tkachuk, who started to take on somewhat of a villain role in the early stages of the series.
The Panthers assistant captain was a deserving recipient of Wednesday night's game puck, handed out in the Florida dressing room after the visitors stunned the Presidents' Trophy winners in overtime. And as he addressed his teammates, Tkachuk fired off a prediction that errs on the side of bold.
"Boys, remember this room," Tkachuk said, per a clip shared by the Panthers. "We'll be back here for (Game) 7."
It's tough to knock Tkachuk for letting it fly, as Florida is playing with house money against the greatest regular-season team in NHL history. That said, home ice hasn't been much of an advantage to the Panthers in Round 1. The Bruins took Games 3 and 4 at FLA Live Arena by a combined score of 10-4.
The third and final Florida game of this series will be Friday night, with Game 6 puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
