Brandon Carlo is a new Dad.

Bruins star Brandon Carlo talks the birth of his child ahead of the Panthers game.

The Boston Bruins went into Game 1 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup with the Florida Panthers wanting to prove a point. And they sent an emphatic message to Florida and the NHL on Monday night. Boston defeated the Panthers 5-1 in Game 1 to take a 1-0 series lead. However, they almost played this game without defenseman Brandon Carlo.

Carlo was not with the Bruins on Monday as his wife had given birth to their son. The Bruins defenseman stayed behind after his team’s Game 7 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. He took a private jet to make it to Sunrise, Florida in time for Game 1.

After the game, Carlo hilariously spoke about wanting to speed the process up a bit. “We sped it up as fast as we could,” the Bruins rearguard said, via Boston.com’s Conor Ryan. “We were flippin’ her around, putting her upside down, whatever we could do to get that baby out of there.”

Brandon Carlo scores in Game 1

Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo (25) moves the puck against the Florida Panthers during the first period in game one of the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena.Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Brandon Carlo may not have been able to script Game 1 any better. He played rather sound defense against the Panthers on Monday night. But the Bruins defender won’t soon forget the goal he scored to give his team a huge two-goal lead in the second period.

The Bruins got the puck deep in their offensive zone during the second period. Boston forward Charlie Coyle found the puck along the boards. He threw it to Carlo, who had just entered the offensive zone. The new Dad had time and space to pick his shot, and found the back of the net.

Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky didn’t see a thing as the Bruins took a 3-1 lead. By the end of the night, Boston added two more goals. But after the game, Boston players only wanted to speak about Carlo’s second-period marker.

“Man I don’t celebrate often, but I raised my hands for that one,” goalie Jeremy Swayman said, via BruinsDaily. “It’s so incredible what he did today and just the attitude he brought. He was so excited.”

Bruins up 1-0 against Panthers

Brandon Carlo and the Bruins could have laid a goose egg on Monday night. They capped off a grueling seven-game series with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. And had a rather quick turnaround for Game 1 against the Panthers. However, they went out to take control of the series, and they did just that.

“I think our confidence has gone to another level after pushing through the first round,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said, via NHL.com. “I think that confidence makes you believe that you can. It’s a great place to be mentally. But like I said, we made a lot of mistakes, and if it’s not for Jeremy Swayman, that would have been a lot closer game and maybe they come out on top.”
The Bruins can build upon this performance with another big showing in Game 2. However, Florida is certain to bring their A-game to avoid going down 2-0 in this series. Fans can tune into ESPN to catch Game 2 on Wednesday night with puck drop currently scheduled for 7:30 PM Eastern Time.