SUNRISE, Fla. — Have a day, Brandon Carlo.
The Boston Bruins defenseman wasn’t with his team Monday morning for an excellent reason: His wife, Mayson, was giving birth to their son, Crew, the couple’s second child.
With mother and baby doing well, Carlo flew to South Florida, arriving at Amerant Bank Arena later than the rest of his teammates then scoring a second-period goal for the Bruins.
“It’s definitely 24 hours that I won’t forget,” Carlo said.
The veteran scored with 21 seconds left in the second, getting his second goal of the playoffs and giving Boston a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes. The Bruins rolled from there, posting a 5-1 victory to take a 1-0 series lead over the Florida Panthers in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“Man, I don’t celebrate often, but I raised my hands on that one,” Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman said, when asked about his reaction to the Carlo goal. “It’s so incredible what he did today, just the attitude that he brought. He was so excited.”
Carlo also notched an assist on the goal that sent Boston to Florida for Round 2. He helped set up David Pastrnak‘s goal on Saturday night that gave Boston a series winner in overtime of Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After Monday’s win, Carlo was sent to the postgame podium for a news conference, something reserved for a playoff game’s biggest stars in the NHL. It was new territory for him.
“I don’t score very often,” said Carlo, who now has five points this postseason. “So, it was a very cool experience for me.”
The Bruins also opened their first-round series with a dominant 5-1 win over the Leafs.
“I think our confidence has gone to another level,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “That confidence makes you believe.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.