Recap: Bruins bear down to extend series with 2-1 win in Game 5

How’s your heart rate?

It wasn’t exactly a clinic. It wasn’t without its “WTF” moments.

It was, however, a win, with the Bruins beating Florida 2-1 to force a Game 6 at TD Garden on Friday.

Charlie McAvoy scored the game-winner 10:25 into the second period and Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves, including a massive season-saver in the dying seconds, to help the Bruins extend the series.

The Bruins got off to a decent start for the first time since 1983, outshooting Florida 13-4 in the opening period.

One of those 13 was the game’s first goal, a great bit of patience from Morgan Geekie to make it 1-0 Bruins five minutes in.

Florida turned up the heat a bit in the second period and eventually tied the game when Sam Reinhart collected a loose puck and beat Swayman through traffic to make it a 1-1 game midway through the second.

A little more than four minutes later, McAvoy broke his long, long, long, long, long playoff scoring drought, beating Sergei Bobrovsky to make it 2-1 Bruins.

The Panthers would challenge the McAvoy goal for goalie interference (LOL), but they were unsuccessful.

Anyways, that’d be it for the offense! Both teams had decent chances in the third, including David Pastrnak all alone in front with about three minutes left — but there was nothing doing.

The biggest stop, however, came with less than 10 seconds to go, when Swayman denied Reinhart on a point-blank chance.

That was it! Bruins win, 2-1.

Game notes

• Inhale/exhale, take a walk, do whatever you need to do to get that heart rate under control again. What a chaotic, desperate, perfectly “playoffs” ending to what was an exciting game all-around.
• Swayman will deservedly get full marks for that save on Reinhart, but Justin Brazeau deserves credit too for getting his stick on the puck and body on Reinhart, preventing a follow-up chance at the buzzer.
• Along with a goal and an assist, McAvoy had a big under-the-radar play himself in the game’s final minute. He won a one-on-one battle along the boards, outmuscling whoever it was on Florida to just barely get his stick on the puck. That puck ended up with Pastrnak, who made a good desperation play of his own to clear the zone. The little things, etc.
• It’s beyond parody at this point, but the Bruins took another too many men on the ice penalty tonight, this one coming midway through the third period. Of a one-goal game. In the playoffs. With the season on the line. Maybe the team can watch some kids counting videos on YouTube on the flight home.
• One of Jack Edwards’ more memorable calls was mocking Flyers fans who wanted a hit from behind call on Milan Lucic for hitting Randy Jones — the same Jones who nearly ended Patrice Bergeron’s career and got off scot-free. Anyways, I thought of Jack’s “how’s this for irony” call when Paul Maurice challenged the McAvoy goal. Bobrovsky had all the time in the world to reset and make a save but seemed far more interested in trying to draw a call. What a shame.
• The Bruins’ penalty kill came up huge tonight, killing all four Florida power plays — including two in the third period.
• Jim Montgomery really shortened his bench in this one, leaning heavily on McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, and Brandon Carlo on the blue line and on Pastrnak, Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, and Pavel Zacha up front. Mason Lohrei skated just 11 minutes (he did take a penalty, but it was 99% a dive), while Pat Maroon, John Beecher, and Jakub Lauko all got around eight minutes or less (just six in Lauko’s case).
• The Bruins won the physical battle against Florida as well, out-hitting the Panthers 49-35.
• Nathan will have coverage, but shortly after this game ended, PWHL Boston scored in overtime (again) to sweep Montreal. Not a bad hockey night in Massachusetts!

Game 6 will be back at TD Garden on Friday — yes, I double-checked, and the game is, in fact, Friday.

The time and broadcast info are (as of shortly after Game 5 ended) TBD, likely depending on whether or not Dallas finishes off Colorado Wednesday night; Game 6 of that series is also scheduled for Friday.