Game 6 takeaways: Bruins’ season ends in heartbreaking loss vs. Panthe…

Game 6 takeaways: Bruins’ season ends in heartbreaking loss vs. Panthers originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

BOSTON — The Florida Panthers have done it again. For the second straight year, they have knocked the Boston Bruins out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden.

Last season it was a shocking first-round upset in Game 7. This year it was a 2-1 Game 6 victory in the second round.

The Bruins had a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period for the fourth time in six games, but like they had done numerous times in the series, the Panthers dominated for large stretches of the second and third periods.

Panthers center Anton Lundell tied the score at one in the second period, and defenseman Gustav Forsling scored what proved to be the series winner with just 1:33 left in the third period.

The Panthers were the better team over the course of six games, but the Bruins did have plenty of chances to score in this series and too often failed to capitalize. In Game 6, for example, the Bruins generated 16 high-danger scoring chances and beat Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky only one time. Boston scored two or fewer goals in each of the last five games.

The Bruins will soon begin a pivotal offseason for the franchise. The Panthers will advance to play the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.

Here are three takeaways from Bruins-Panthers Game 6 on Friday night.

Panthers dominate last two periods again

The Panthers outscored the Bruins 2-0 over the final 40 minutes of the game with one goal in the second period and another in the third period.

They also tilted the ice in their favor for most of that stretch, earning a 49-37 edge in shot attempts, a 20-16 advantage in shots and a 20-16 lead in scoring chances. The Panthers played with desperation and spent large amounts of time in the Bruins’ zone.

This level of dominance after the first period was a common theme for the Panthers in the series. They outscored the Bruins 17-3 over the final two periods in the last…