But their present story might be even more compelling.
Let’s recap:
The Panthers were routed by the Bruins in Game 1, blew Boston out in Game 2 and then cruised to wins in Games 3 and 4 to put their opponent on the ropes.
The Bruins responded with a gutsy effort in Game 5 to stay alive. That sent the series back to Boston for Game 6 on Friday.
If that all sounds like déjà vu, well, it’s close. Last season, when Boston and Florida met in the first round, it was the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins who jumped to a 3-1 series lead, let it slip away and then lost in overtime in Game 7. Florida advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
Is Boston about to flip the script on Florida with a comeback of its own? Or, are the Panthers ready to pounce again and send the Bruins packing?
Game 6 could be a series-defining moment. Before it goes down, we look back at storylines Boston and Florida generated after the lopsided showing in Game 1 — when it was already clear to expect the unexpected from these Atlantic Division foes.
Panthers pepper Swayman
There’s no arguing that Jeremy Swayman has been Boston’s MVP in the postseason. He bamboozled the Toronto Maple Leafs throughout their first-round series, and Swayman was razor sharp in Boston’s dominant Game 1 victory against Florida.
Since then, though, Swayman’s been brought slightly back to earth by the Panthers’ offensive onslaught. He’s 1-3 in Games 2 through 5, with an .896 save percentage and 3.59 goals-against average, a stark contrast to the 5-2 record, .955 SV% and 1.42 GAA Swayman held through the playoffs through Game 1 of this series.
At issue: Swayman has been under siege in the second round. Boston is allowing 34 shots per game and the Bruins forwards are providing little help in the goal support department (averaging 1.75 per game in Games 2 through 5) while averaging just 19.5 shots in that span toward Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
Frankly, Swayman’s numbers could be worse given what’s happening in front of him. And Boston is letting Bobrovsky off easy.
The Panthers netminder is admittedly underworked, but solid when called upon with a 3-1 record, .910 SV% and 1.77 GAA since Game 1.
Instead of Swayman exuding swagger, it’s been Bobrovsky looking unbothered. Boston will need to change that in Game 6, where the order of the day should be adapting Florida’s strategy of firing pucks at will in an effort to ratchet up the pressure.
The Bruins’ struggling special teams
The shoe — or skate — is on the other foot now for Boston when it comes to sputtering special teams. The Bruins shut down Toronto’s power play in the first round, and it was a decisive factor in their eventual victory.
Well, Boston’s power play has been underachieving against Florida. The Bruins are 1-for-14 with the extra man (7.1%), while Florida is 6-for-25 (24.0%) on its power play. Boston’s penalty kill has taken an obvious dip (to 76.0%, compared to 95.2% against the Leafs).
However, the silver lining is the Bruins were 4-for-4 on the kill in Game 5 while holding Florida’s special teams off the scoresheet for the first time since Game 1. Now, considering Boston won both those games, it’s safe to say special teams projects to be a significant element in the Bruins outcome for Game 6.
And consider this: Boston and Florida have scored an equal number of 5-on-5 goals in the series (nine). There’s no mistaking what a well-timed power-play marker could do for either side in Friday’s contest.
Florida’s fearsome depth
It was fair to wonder after Game 1 whether the Panthers were too top-heavy up front.
Swayman appeared so locked in that if Florida’s stars couldn’t break him, would their depth skaters be able to help out?
The answer was yes.
In their past four games, the Panthers have seen 11 different shooters tally at least one goal (and Matthew Tkachuk isn’t even one of them), with the bounty spread throughout all four lines. While captain Aleksander Barkov‘s three goals and seven points have certainly aided Florida in getting to its current pinnacle, contributions from throughout the lineup have driven the Panthers’ overall success.
Having Sam Bennett back has been a boon for Florida, although he has created some controversy along the way. Bennett’s hit on Bruins’ captain Brad Marchand in Game 3 forced the winger out of Games 4 and 5 with an upper-body injury (Marchand’s status remains unknown for Game 6). It was also Bennett who scored in a controversial goalie interference sequence during Game 4, a second event to help make him public enemy No. 1 in Beantown.
Regardless, the Panthers have continued to show they’re not limited to one skill. Boston has as well — the Bruins’ issue is their elite talents haven’t been impacting the club enough. Since Game 1, Boston has generated seven goals overall, with no player scoring more than one. That sort of output won’t suffice when the Panthers are piling on from a variety of places.
This is the time for David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk & Co. to do what they do best: Make Bobrovsky uncomfortable in the crease.
Momentum fluctuates and coaching matters
No, Boston wasn’t able to maintain the high it was on after drowning the Maple Leafs and rolling into South Florida with a chance to avenge last season’s disappointment.
But any coach or player who’s been through a long playoff run will say the same thing, and it’s that momentum rarely determines the final result in a series. The pendulum swings come fast and furious.
And this matchup has created plenty of those.
In Game 1, it was Bruins coach Jim Montgomery settling his team early in the third period when he saw it beginning to panic against a pressing Panthers’ attack. Montgomery read the situation perfectly; Justin Brazeau responded to Montgomery’s timeout with a goal that extended Boston’s lead to 4-1 and secured its eventual win.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice took a noteworthy timeout in Game 5 to deliver an expletive-laced tirade at his team as it trailed 1-0. Sam Reinhart immediately scored a tying goal.
“I wasn’t mad; I understood what they were going through,” Maurice said afterward. “I just thought they needed some profanity in their life. And I brought some. I don’t excel in a lot of things in life, but f— me, I am good at that.”
“I don’t think he was yelling,” Barkov said of Maurice. “He was just trying to get the point through to us that we need to play harder, need to enjoy it, just play our game. We were just sitting back, watching what was happening.”
play
0:34
Sam Reinhart levels score for Panthers
Sam Reinhart nets the puck off the rebound and levels the score at 1-1 vs. the Bruins.
Florida eventually lost 2-1 in Game 4 after Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy netted the winner (which Maurice unsuccessfully challenged for goalie interference). But when it comes to having a pulse on your players and what they need to hear, both Montgomery and Maurice have been effectively dialed in.
How much of a difference could that insight make in determining how Game 6 ends? The series has been unpredictable at times.
And at this stage, every tiny margin for advantage matters.
Oklahoma starting quarterback John Mateer, after screenshots of past references to “sports gambling” on his Venmo account surfaced online Monday, denied ever being involved with gambling, saying Tuesday it was instead “inside jokes” with his friends.
School officials became aware of the screenshots late Monday night and are looking into the situation, a source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,” Mateer posted to X on Tuesday. “My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends.
“I have never bet on sports. I understand the seriousness of the matter but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in any sports gambling.”
Screenshots posted online Monday night showed Mateer allegedly twice included “sports gambling” in memos for transactions on Nov. 20, 2022, while he was a freshman at Washington State. Both transactions were allegedly made to a Venmo account for Richard Roaten, believed to be a teammate at Washington State at the time.
College athletes are prohibited from betting on any sport offered by the NCAA, with penalties up to loss of eligibility.
OU Athletics issued a statement saying it “takes any allegations of gambling seriously and works closely with the NCAA in any situation of concern.” The school said its “unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe there is one pending.”
Mateer, the No. 1 overall player in ESPN’s portal rankings, transferred to Oklahoma from Washington State this offseason. He passed for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, his third with the Cougars.
Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma secured its most significant commitment yet in the 2026 recruiting cycle on Tuesday when defensive end Jake Kreul, No. 22 in the 2026 ESPN 300, announced his pledge to the Sooners on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Kreul, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound edge rusher from Florida’s IMG Academy, entered August as the lone remaining uncommitted among the 23 five-star prospects in ESPN’s prospect rankings for the 2026 cycle. He chose Oklahoma over Ole Miss and Texas following a slate of official visits this spring that included trips to all three finalists as well as Colorado, Florida and Ohio State.
Kreul lands with the Sooners as the 16th overall pledge and only the third ESPN 300 commit in Oklahoma coach Brent Venables’ 2026 recruiting class following the program’s 6-7 finish to the 2024 season. Kreul now stands as the top-ranked member of Venables’ latest class alongside fellow top-300 pledges in No. 5 dual-threat quarterback Bowe Bentley (No. 168 overall) and wide receiver Daniel Odom (No. 258). If Kreul ultimately signs later this year, it will represent Oklahoma’s fourth consecutive cycle with at least one five-star addition dating to the 2023 class.
Kruel took part in the 2025 Under Armour All-America Game earlier this year and will enter his senior season at IMG Academy this fall. One of the most polished defensive prospects in the 2026 class, he closed his junior campaign in 2025 with 39 tackles, 11 hurries and 6 sacks.
Oklahoma joined the likes of Florida and Ole Miss among the first major programs to prominently enter the mix for Kreul’s commitment nearly two years ago. Kreul told ESPN last month that his relationships with Sooners defensive line assistants Todd Bates and Miguel Chavis, along with Venables’ background of nearly two decades as a defensive coordinator were driving factors in his heavy interest in Oklahoma.
“The opportunity to play for a defensive-minded head coach and one of the best minds in the sport in coach Venables is something you may not get at every school,” Kreul said. “That piece is something that’s been very present for me throughout in terms of building my relationship with Oklahoma.”
Kreul now stands as the seventh defender bound for Oklahoma in 2026 and a cornerstone member of the Sooners’ latest class. Along the defensive line, Oklahoma also holds pledges from three-star defensive tackle Brian Harris and defensive ends Matthew Nelson and Daniel Norman.
EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon wide receiver Jurrion Dickey has been suspended indefinitely, coach Dan Lanning announced Tuesday.
Dickey, a former five-star recruit, has played in 15 games in two years with the Ducks but has had only two catches for 14 yards.
Lanning did not specify the reason for Dickey’s suspension but said the team has two team rules: “Be respectful, be on time.”
“There’s some pieces of that where I felt like he needed a break from us and we needed a break from that so we could focus on what’s in front of us right now,” Lanning said. “Wishing him nothing but the best, as far as success, and want to see him get back to where he can be a contributor somewhere. That might be here. That might be somewhere else.”
The Ducks were ranked No. 7 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. The team was already thin at wide receiver with the loss of Evan Stewart, the Ducks’ top returner who injured his knee in the offseason and could miss the season.