NHL-best Bruins beat Panthers in Game 1 of series

PLAYOFF ROUNDUP

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As Panthers goaltender Alex Lyon (34) looks back, the Bruins’ David Pastrnak (88) shoots the puck into an empty net for a goal during Game 1 of their series. WINSLOW TOWNSON — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Brad Marchand has had his share of highlight goals in his career. His latest was more of a lowlight for Florida goalie Alex Lyon.

Marchand scored his 50th career playoff goal on a relatively easy shot, David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk also scored, and the NHL-best Boston Bruins opened the playoffs by beating the Panthers 3-1 on Monday night.

“You never know, come playoff time, you never want to pass up a shot,” Marchand said. “That’s just kind of how the playoffs work. Sometimes those shots go in and sometimes they don’t.”

Linus Ullmark, a Vezina Trophy candidate who led the league in wins (40), goals-against average (1.89) and save percentage (.938), stopped 31 shots and Tyler Bertuzzi added two assists for Boston, which controlled the game at home even with captain Patrice Bergeron sitting out because of illness.

Matthew Tkachuk scored for the Panthers and Lyon made 26 saves — many of them splendid — but gave up Marchand’s goal on the soft shot.

Game 2 is Wednesday night in Boston.

The Bruins captured the Presidents’ Trophy, setting NHL records in points (135) and wins (65). Florida, last season’s No. 1 seed, earned the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot with a late-season push.

It’s the first playoff matchup between a No. 1 seed and the Presidents’ winner from the previous season since the award was introduced in 1985-86.

HURRICANES 2, ISLANDERS 1 >> Sebastian Aho and Stefan Noesen scored power-play goals to help Carolina beat visiting New York to open their first-round playoff series.

Noesen’s tip on Brent Burns’ shot from up top proved to be the winner at 2:27 of the second period, while Antti Raanta finished with 25 saves to lead a defensive effort that saw the Hurricanes turn away every chance the Islanders had with a man advantage to take the lead in the best-of-7 series.

Carolina, which came into the game with the league’s No. 2 penalty kill, denied all four of New York’s power plays. The Hurricanes also withstood the final roughly 90 seconds to protect the lead after the Islanders had pulled Ilya Sorokin for the extra attacker.

“The best penalty killer is always your goalie, No. 1,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “He made a couple of real good stops. The guys in there blocked some shots. They did what they had to do.”