Things Jim Montgomery Told the Bruins Following the Panthers’ Game 6 Loss

BOSTON — It was déjà vu for the Boston Bruins on Friday night.

The Bruins skated off the ice at TD Garden with the Florida Panthers putting an end to Boston’s season for the second consecutive year under Jim Montgomery. This time it came in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals with the Panthers coming out on top, 2-1, thanks to a goal from Gustav Forsling with 1:33 left in the third period.

The season-ending defeat left Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery to pick up the pieces and he opened up what he told his team after another stinging defeat to the Panthers in the playoffs.

“I thanked them and it was an honor to coach them because of the hard work and the competitiveness they brought throughout the year,” Montgomery said. “That was the biggest thing I wanted to get across, and that you’re never happy when you don’t win your last game of the year. Some players had tremendous growth this year and they can be proud of that. And in the end, we have to find ways to get better and win our last game of the year.”

Similar to Montgomery, Brad Marchand, the captain of the Boston Bruins, expressed his pride in the team after missing the first two games of the series due to a concussion.

“Obviously, a great deal of disappointment. Everything has been silent. Marchand described the scenario that unfolded inside Boston’s locker room following the team’s defeat. “We had higher expectations. When the season finishes, it’s difficult. At the end of the day, only one side will undoubtedly prevail in the last game of the season. Even yet, we believed that we were capable of more.

Montgomery didn’t have an answer to if he would do anything differently in the series, but said he would have one in the coming days.

The Bruins have had terrific success under Montgomery in the regular season with Boston posting a 112-32-20 record the past two season. But that success hasn’t exactly translated over to the postseason. Boston is just 9-11 in the playoffs with eight of those losses coming at home.

The fact that Montgomery and the Bruins will have to wait until next year to overcome this setback and get even with the Panthers means they will undoubtedly be looking for a way out of those problems.