Florida Panthers

The Boston Bruins have a 1-0 lead over the Florida Panthers after winning Game 1 of the second-round series 5-1.

Goalie Jeremy Swayman paved the way for Boston on defense, keeping the net clear for most of the game outside of a second-period goal. On offense, the Bruins got help from Morgan Geekie, Mason Lohrei, Brandon Carlo, Justin Brazeau and Jake DeBrusk, each of whom had goals in the win.

The win comes after Boston's overtime thriller against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the first round. After the Bruins handled Game 1, fans credited the team for carrying their momentum from the win over the weekend.

The Bruins now have even more momentum on their side with a big Game 1. Boston is seeking revenge after losing to the Panthers in the second round a year ago, and that emotion could have been a factor in the dominant win.

Florida is looking to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for a second consecutive season, but it will need to come back strong in Game 2 to avoid a 2-0 deficit.

The second game of the series takes place Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The Tampa Bay Lightning's season is over after losing Game 5 against the Florida Panthers 6-1 on Monday.

After going down 3-0 in the series, the Lightning managed to get a win in Game 4, but they weren't able to rally to force a Game 6 and have now been eliminated from the playoffs.

Tampa Bay had two goals called back in the game, though those goals wouldn't have made much of a difference as the Panthers put four goals on the board in the final period to make it a comfortable win.

With the loss, NHL fans now claim that the Panthers have officially ended the Lightning dynasty.

The Lightning have had an outstanding run over the last five years with a pair of Stanley Cup titles and a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2022, but after a back-to-back first-round exits, it might be time to declare it the end of Tampa Bay's dynasty.

Things looked promising for the Lightning heading into the postseason as they were one of the hottest teams in the NHL, but they couldn't carry that momentum into the postseason as the Panthers handled business.

Now Florida will look to form a dynasty of its own. The Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Finals a year ago and seem poised to make a big run again this year.

The Ottawa Senators announced Wednesday that they traded winger Vladimir Tarasenko to the Florida Panthers ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline.

In exchange, the Sens are receiving a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick, and Ottawa is retaining half of Tarasenko's salary.

Should the Panthers win the Stanley Cup this season, the 2024 fourth-round pick will become a third-round pick instead.

Tarasenko, 32, is a four-time NHL All-Star who experienced the bulk of his success during an 11-year run with the St. Louis Blues.

As a member of the Blues, Tarasenko racked up 262 goals and 291 assists for 553 points in 644 regular-season games. That included six seasons of 30 or more goals, led by a career-high 40 goals in 2015-16.

The Russian is not far removed from his best point-producing season, finishing with 82 points in 2021-22.

Tarasenko also had 41 goals and 60 points in 90 playoff games for the Blues, and he won a Stanley Cup at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season.

This marks the second consecutive year that Tarasenko has been traded, as St. Louis shipped him to the New York Rangers last season. In 31 games for the Rangers as a rental player, Tarasenko had eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points.

Tarasenko's market in free agency last offseason was somewhat tepid, prompting him to sign a one-year, $5 million contract with the Senators.

It can be argued that he exceeded expectations, racking up 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points in 57 games this season. He has also posted a plus-13 rating, which is his best mark since 2017-18.

While the Senators are the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference this season with just 53 points, the trade instantly catapults Tarasenko into Stanley Cup contention.

The Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final last season, falling to the Vegas Golden Knights. So far this season, they lead the Atlantic Division, the Eastern Conference and the NHL as a whole with 90 points.

Tarasenko will join a Panthers team that is already stacked with high-end talent at forward, including Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart, who leads the team with 75 points and is second in the NHL with 45 goals.

Given his scoring ability, Tarasenko could instantly slot in as part of the Panthers' second line alongside Tkachuk and center Sam Bennett.

Florida Panthers assistant general manager Brett Peterson will serve as general manager of the U.S. men's national hockey team for the 2024 IIHF Men's World Championship, USA Hockey announced Thursday.

Peterson will be the team's first Black general manager, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

Peterson also became the NHL's first Black assistant general manager when joining the Florida Panthers in 2020.

Under the direction of Peterson and GM Bill Zito, the Panthers have since appeared in three straight postseasons and the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.

Prior to joining the Panthers front office, Peterson served as Wasserman Media's vice president of hockey, worked as an NHLPA-certified player agent and played hockey at the AHL level.

He will now build the men's roster for the 2024 championship, which is set to take place from May 10-16 in Czechia.

Zito will also contribute to the team's roster construction. The Panthers GM is a member of the U.S. men's national team advisory group assembled to assist Peterson.

Nine other NHL general managers will be involved in building the roster, including the Buffalo Sabres' Kevyn Adams, Calgary Flames' Craig Conroy, New York Rangers' Chris Drury, New Jersey Devils' Tom Fitzgerald, San Jose Sharks' Mike Grier, Minnesota Wild's Bill Guerin, New York Islanders' Lou Lamoriello, Colorado Avalanche's Chris MacFarland and Carolina Hurricanes' Don Waddell.

This group will continue USA Hockey's quest to win gold at the men's world championship, a feat the team has not accomplished since 1933.

The men's team also hasn't won silver since 1950. Its last medal was a bronze in 2021.

Team USA made it to the semifinal in the tournament last May but blew a third-period lead to Germany and lost in overtime. The 2023 roster featured no NHL All-Star players for the first time since 2010.

Worlds will once again take place during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so rosters can't include players whose teams are still active in the postseason.

John Vanbiesbrouck, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey, said Peterson's "extensive knowledge of the overall player pool in our country" will help construct the roster despite that limitation.

One notable American star on Peterson and Zito's Panthers roster is Scottsdale, Arizona native Matthew Tkachuk, who previously represented the United States at the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

"Jumbo Joe" is officially hanging up the skates.

Former San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers forward Joe Thornton announced his retirement from the NHL after 24 seasons on Saturday.

The news comes after Thornton told reporters in May 2022 following the Panthers' second-round playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning that he was undecided on whether to return for another season.

"My wife was kind of asking me last night," Thornton said at the time. "And really, I have no plans. It's kind of exciting that way. I came here to win a championship, and we fell short of that. But I think the Florida Panthers are going to be good for a long time. It's exciting around here now."

Thornton did not play the 2022-23 season and was not on an NHL roster to begin the 2023-24 campaign.

Despite never winning a Stanley Cup, Thornton had a legendary NHL career worth a nod in the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1,714 games with the Panthers, Sharks, Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, he tallied 430 goals.

His 1,714 regular-season games played ranks sixth in NHL history, and his 1,109 assists are good for seventh. In addition, his 1,539 points puts him 12th in league history.

Thornton also appeared in 187 playoff games, tallying 32 goals and 102 assists for 134 points. He reached the Stanley Cup Finals as a member of the Sharks during the 2015-16 season, but the team fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

Thornton is also a four-time All-Star, and won the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy in 2005-06 after tallying 29 goals and 96 assists in 81 games for the Bruins and Sharks.

With Thornton and Zdeno Chara now in retirement, Mark Giordano, Joe Pavelski and Marc-Andre Fleury are the oldest active players in the league.