Bruins Celebrated By NHL Twitter in Win vs. Panthers Without Patrice Bergeron, Krejčí

Who needs centers, anyway?

Despite missing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí, the Boston Bruins downed the Florida Panthers, 4-2, in Game 3 on Friday night. The Bruins now hold a 2-1 lead in the first round series.

Krejčí was on the ice for warmups but was scratched late with an upper body injury. This was first Bruins playoff game in 20 years without either Bergeron or Krejčí, per Sportsnet Stats.

In the absence of their two top centers, the Bruins' depth stepped up. Taylor Hall, Charlie Coyle and David Pastrňák scored. Nick Foligno, a projected scratch before the game, added a tally of his own to make it 4-0 in the third period.

Things got tense late in the third, when the Panthers scored twice in one minute and 18 seconds to pull within two goals with four minutes remaining.

The push was too little, too late for Florida. The Bruins made it through a messy last few minutes to claim the victory and help Boston fans recover from the Celtics losing 130-122 to the Atlanta Hawks while the Bruins were playing. Like the Bruins, the Celtics now hold a 2-1 series lead.

Krejčí's status going forward is uncertain, while Bergeron is out for Game 4. The puck drops in Sunrise on Sunday for Game 4 at 3:30 p.m. ET.