Panthers rally from 2-goal deficit, beat Bruins 3-2 and take 3-1 lead in East semifinal series

BOSTON (AP) — Aleksander Barkov slipped through three Bruins defenders to score the go-ahead goal on Sunday night, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 16 shots to give the Florida Panthers a 3-2 victory over Boston and a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

One year after Florida knocked out the record-setting Bruins in the first round on its way to the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers won their third straight to send Boston to the brink of elimination.

Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell also scored for the Panthers, who scored three times in a row to rally from a two-goal deficit. Florida can advance to the Eastern Conference finals with a victory in Game 5 at home on Tuesday night.

Playing without captain and leading scorer in the postseason Brad Marchand, Boston jumped to a 2-0 lead with goals from David Pastrnak and Brandon Carlo. Jeremy Swayman made 39 saves for the Bruins.