Jeremy Swayman said the series would return to Boston. And he backed up that claim in a big way.

Swayman made 28 saves, Charlie McAvoy added to the list of disputed goals in this matchup with the go-ahead score and the Boston Bruins staved off elimination by beating the Florida Panthers 2-1 in Game 5 of their Stanley Cup playoff series Tuesday night.

The Boston Bruins won't have captain Brad Marchand in the lineup while trying to avoid elimination in Game 5 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against Florida on Tuesday.

"[Marchand] is not an option," Bruins' coach Jim Montgomery said after Boston's morning skate.

The Boston Bruins disagreed with the officials' decision on a failed coach's challenge for goalie interference, one that let the game-tying goal stand in their Game 4 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday night.

The Panthers, down 2-0 in the opening period, went on to win the game 3-2, scoring twice in the third to take a 3-1 series lead.

Bruins captain Brad Marchand is out for Game 4 of their series against the Florida Panthers on Sunday night, and his teammates are looking to avenge him.

"I think it pissed off everyone. I think that whole team kind of ticks everyone off, to be honest," said Bruins center Trent Frederic.

Brad Marchand is day-to-day with an upper-body injury after a collision with Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett in Game 3 that the Boston Bruins said might have crossed the line.

The Bruins captain's status for Game 4 on Sunday is uncertain. He didn't practice with the team Saturday. Marchand is the Bruins' leading scorer in the playoffs with 10 points in 10 games (3 goals, 7 assists).

The NHL named Sergei Bobrovsky, Thatcher Demko and Connor Hellebuyck finalists for the Vezina Trophy.

The Vezina Trophy, which goes to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position, was voted on by the NHL's general managers with Bobrovsky, Demko and Hellebuyck finishing in the top three in votes for this season.

Mikhail Sergachev's return sparked the host Tampa Bay Lightning, who avoided elimination with a 6-3 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of their first-round series on Saturday.

One of the Lightning's top defenseman had been out since fracturing the tibia and fibula in his left leg on Feb. 7. Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper had predicted the Lightning would need to "go far" in the playoffs to see Sergachev dress for another game. 

Bill Zito has been promoted by the Florida Panthers, with the team announcing Monday that its general manager will now also serve as the team's president of hockey operations.

The promotion came with a multiyear contract extension, the terms of which were not revealed by the reigning Eastern Conference champions.

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad will likely miss the rest of the regular season with an undisclosed injury, but coach Paul Maurice firmly believes the veteran will return for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Ekblad played only 7:16 before leaving Tuesday's loss at Montreal after a skirmish with Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky late in the first period.

"I don't think he plays the rest of the regular season," Maurice told reporters. "But we are quite confident that he's 100% and ready to go by the first game [of the playoffs].

This season, there was no question. No doubt. No surprise.

Whereas it took until the final days of the 2022-23 regular season for the Florida Panthers to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs -- before embarking on a run that would take them to the Stanley Cup Final -- this season it was long assured. The Panthers, who spent the season battling the Boston Bruins for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, were a lock.

But even as the Panthers clinched their fifth straight trip to the postseason on Thursday, their postgame dressing room wasn’t exactly overflowing with joy. The coach, Paul Maurice, said he didn’t feel like talking about it and their stars were muted.

“I appreciate the questions and I’m just a grumpy old man,” Maurice said. “So I’ll answer them all them all tomorrow. I don’t feel like talking about good things right now.”