To this tricky question, there are only two possible answers, quite honestly: on the ice or in the stands. It’s that the Panthers player hasn’t been himself since he was hit hard by Keegan Kolesar in Game 3 of the series on Thursday. At the time, it was Tkachuk’s left shoulder that absorbed the shock, and it is quite obvious that the main interested party is not able to handle the stick with ease, he who was not able to finish Saturday night’s game and also failed to give a single hit in Game 4 of the Finals against the Golden Knights. He is expected to take part in Tuesday’s game, but it certainly won’t be to the best of his abilities.
Clearly, the Panthers still haven’t found a way to slow down Jonathan Marchessault. Since the start of this final, the Golden Knights forward has collected points in each of the four games, for a total of four goals and three assists since the start of the series. In fact, the Quebec player has collected at least one point in his last nine games, and the Dallas Stars are the last to shut him out, as of May 19, in the previous round. We recall that Marchessault has scored 13 goals since the start of the playoffs, which makes him one of the favorites in the race for the Conn-Smythe trophy, if not the big favorite.
Since the start of this final, we have of course noticed that Matthew Tkachuk is not playing like the 109-point player he has been in the season, but we could also add that Aleksander Barkov is not playing like the guy from 78 points that we saw in 2022-2023. The Panthers star forward hadn’t had a single point in that series before he had a goal and an assist in a losing cause in Saturday night’s game. This slump has undoubtedly had an impact on Anthony Duclair, his linemate, who has only obtained two points since the start of the final, and no points in the last two games.
With all this, we are forgetting Phil Kessel, who is nevertheless a member of the Golden Knights, but who is put aside every night and who we no longer see. Kessel featured in the first four games of the first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets, but has been sidelined in favor of William Carrier ever since. With all that, Kessel hasn’t played in a playoff game since April 24. It’s still quite special, since the veteran striker had played the 82 games of the season calendar, as well as the 82 games of the previous season.
We’ll tell each other, it doesn’t look too good for the Panthers. In the entire history of the NHL, only one club has been able to win the Stanley Cup after falling similarly behind in the Finals: the Toronto Maple Leafs, who beat the Detroit Red Wings in 1942 – and the Leafs were trailing 0-3, which is even worse. Also, clubs that take a 2-0 lead in the final have won 48 times in 53 attempts in league history. Of course, it’s not over until it’s over, as a great sage once said, but it looks like it’s over.
