It’s not that complicated after all.
All it took for the Panthers to win a first game in this final was a superb performance from Sergei Bobrovsky, an equalizer from Matthew Tkachuk, a snuffer performance from Aleksander Barkov and a game-winning goal from Carter Verhaeghe. It was enough to think about it.
In this crucial victory – the word is weak – from 3 to 2 in overtime, the Florida stars returned to the recipe that had served them so well in the first three rounds.
Especially Bobrovsky, who walked on water until he landed in the Nevada desert – yes, there it is, where there is no water, no need to congratulate us on this rich image. Eight goals against on 46 shots in his two starts in Vegas quickly extinguished his aura of invincibility.
As expected, his coach kept his faith and gave him back the net for this match number 3, during which he was almost perfect. He only received 27 shots, but mostly displayed his presence in the last weeks of May. He hasn’t conceded a single goal at even strength.
Tkachuk, then, who with zero penalty minutes, spent 14 and 22 minutes less in the dungeon, respectively, than in the first two games of the series. He didn’t necessarily have a transcendent game overall, but he still exploded when the time was right.
His equalizing goal, scored when his goalkeeper had retired to the bench, is his second of the playoffs. Adding his four game-winning goals so far, we can say that it is not so bad.
Also, on the overtime goal, even though the puck almost came from the blue line, he was the last player ahead of Adin Hill, who only realized what was happening to him once the object was behind him. Who knew Tkachuk could be so helpful being on the ice and not in the penalty box?
Barkov now. He had already been better than his team in the previous duel. However, if there is a state of grace for a defensive center, the Finn has reached it in this third game.
After two meetings, the names of Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault were mentioned for the awarding of the Conn-Smythe trophy, and one wonders if, like Michael Jordan, Barkov has not decided to make it a business. personal. Thursday, when he was on the ice at five on five against the dynamic Knights duo, the Panthers led 10 to 1 in shot attempts. Aided by the latest home change, head coach Paul Maurice won this opposition hands down.
Verhaeghe, finally. After scoring 42 goals during the season, and scoring three game-winning goals in this playoff, he had just gone five games without scoring. We can now wipe the slate clean. Including last year, it was his seventh game-winning goal in 29 playoff games. This is obviously a top in the league.
The question we’re all asking now: Can the Panthers stars replicate this recipe three more times?
They are obviously not alone in pulling the team, but after Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart, we can draw a line separating the group of leaders in attack from that of occasional contributors.
Champion teams are constantly praised for their “depth”. Hard to marvel at that of the Panthers, some of whose players seem to be only present to inhabit jerseys on the bench – greetings here to Colin White and Zac Dalpe.
In defense, what happens next will depend on how badly Brandon Montour is; although he played in overtime, a shoulder injury deprived him of several appearances in the third period. With Radko Gudas who was shaken in the previous game, it’s starting to wear down a lot in the same defensive squad, which also relies on more or less sure values in Josh Mahura and Marc Staal.
Nevertheless, the Panthers still avoided disaster. It was close, but hey… This first victory is now behind them. The relief is, one suspects, priceless. And we have seen what they are capable of when confidence is on their side.
We have a series, it seems!
His performance embodies exactly the essence of this section. It bounced back from two ordinary outings and was excellent, even dominant. He literally saved his club in the second period.
On the winning goal, he missed his cover from Sam Bennett, who was able to hand the disc to Verhaeghe. His trio, completed by Brett Howden and Chandler Stephenson, finished the match at -3.
Jonathan Marchessault became the first player since Dick Duff in 1969 to score power-play goals in each of the first three games of the final series, Sportsnet reported.
