Paul Maurice provides perspective on playoffs as Panthers prepare for Game 6 vs Bruins

Paul Maurice has been around the NHL long enough to know the importance of cherishing a deep postseason run. Moments like these can be fleeting, so he wants his players to appreciate how far they have come and, perhaps more importantly, how much farther they still can go.

“For me, this is about emotion and finding the balance between making sure that we stay disciplined and also have some juice and enjoy the hell out of it,” said Maurice, who has coached 123 career postseason games through 11 trips to the Stanley Cup playoffs in his 26-year NHL career. “I don’t want to hold my breath for two-and-a-half hours just hoping we win. What kind of life is that? I want the players to feel that from me because that might be the one thing I have in terms of experience. As you get a little older, you don’t have as many days left coming to the rink and enjoying it. You’re in the playoffs. You’ve got a pretty good team. We’ve got a great bunch of guys. Whether we’re down one or two [goals] or up one or two, they can’t be holding their breath here. They’ve got to live it. They’ve got to enjoy it.”

This Panthers team has shown a knack for staying loose in even the most frustrating situations over the course of the season. They’ll look to continue with that form on Friday, when they face the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of their best-of-7 second-round playoff series at TD Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on TNT and truTV.

It’s the Panthers’ second attempt to clinch the series after falling 2-1 in Game 5 on Tuesday in a game where they found themselves facing an uphill battle after a slow start and some uncharacteristically poor skating.

“Every aspect of our game needs to be a little better than last game,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “We didn’t like our game, but [Friday] we want to be as good as possible and be a lot better than last game.”

And, statistically speaking, Florida should be comfortable entering Game 6. The Panthers have won each of their past five playoff games at TD Garden — Games 2, 5 and 7 in the first round against the Bruins last season when they upset the top team in the field, along with Games 3 and 4 so far in this series. They have also been one of the NHL’s top road teams, tying for the NHL lead with 26 road wins in the regular season.

“I think overall just being on the road with this group of guys, you spend more time together and talk about hockey,” Barkov said. “That kind of builds the team chemistry. That’s about it. I think it fits our system of play that we want to play really hard and simple on the road, especially.”

What also could be key: Florida should know exactly what type of intensity Boston is going to bring. After all, the Panthers were in the Bruins’ shoes last year when the teams met in the postseason. Florida fell behind 3-1 in the best-of-7 series before rallying off three consecutive desperate, must-win victories to keep their postseason alive and eventually make a run all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

This year, it’s the Bruins who are in the must-win position. They staved off elimination in Game 5 by beating the Panthers at their own game, using an aggressive forecheck and getting an outstanding goaltending performance from Jeremy Swayman.

Now, Florida knows it has to be better prepared for the second effort as Boston returns to home ice if it wants to avoid a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday.

And one of the main takeaways the Panthers gathered from that comeback effort last season plays right into the message their coach is preaching.

“Just enjoy the moment,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said. “Don’t be too tight or too loose. Just play in the moment and enjoy the tough games.”