The Panthers knew their postseason fate well before they became only the second team in NHL history with a 96-point season to miss the playoffs. But they’d been chipping away at relevancy all season, and the team that clawed its way up from 28th place to playoff hopeful wasn’t about to stop at TD Garden on Sunday.
Their goal was to finish the season that put them back on the radar — so they beat the playoff-bound Bruins 4-2 anyway. The victory kept the Bruins from clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference and having home-ice advantage in the playoffs.