How Florida is similar to CSKA
Incredible story! Florida does not lose at all in overtime in this playoff! You can even list this whole heroic journey of the Panthers.
First round: 4:3 OT and 4:3 OT with Boston.
Second round: 3:2 OT and 3:2 OT with Toronto.
Third round: 3:2 OT4 and 2:1 OT with Carolina.
Fourth round: 3:2 OT with Vegas.
Logically, this suggests that we will see at least one more extension in this final. If they come in pairs. “Florida” shows character by firing a match that “Golden Knights” they just had to take it. Judge by yourself…
Late in the third period, Vegas leads 2-1. But two minutes from the final siren, the Florida leader Matthew Tkachuk on the patch skillfully finishes the puck at the Edin Hill gate.
Just before overtime, Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling jumps on the bandwagon. Here it is, a golden opportunity for Vegas. Moreover, the guests of this match have already established two majorities. You lead 3-0 in the series, and it almost never comes back.
But no, Vegas didn’t score. And in overtime, the goal was achieved by a long shot from Carter Verhege.
Marvellous! Florida are straight cut killers. Seven extensions won out of seven! Something similar to CSKA of the past two years – the Moscow Army team won all five games in the seventh game of the series. And it’s not just that “Kings of the Seventh Game” T-shirts are now sold in Moscow.
Paul Maurice – Doc Overtime
Four teams in NHL history have won seven games in overtime in the playoffs. These are Florida (2023), Tampa Bay (2020), Anaheim (2003) and Carolina (2002). Interestingly, of this list, only Tampa has won the Stanley Cup. It is also curious that the Carolinas were also coached in 2002 by Paul Maurice, who now manages the Panthers.
Well, Montreal tops the list (1993), which had 10 overtime wins. It was the last time a Canadian club won the Stanley Cup. Florida can only repeat that record, but for that you need to win three more times in overtime – and win the Silver Bowl.
What’s more interesting, in the last playoffs, Florida won two of two overtimes against Washington (3:2 OT and 4:3 OT). In the penultimate playoffs, Florida had overtime, and there the Panthers also won – 6:5 OT with Tampa. And the last time Florida lost in Cup overtime was already in 2016, when they lost all three overtimes in a series with the New York Islanders (3:4 OT, 1:2 OT2 and 1:2 OT2).
Since then, it was the Panthers who began to develop a cut persona. 10 consecutive overtime wins in the playoffs! Incredible series!
This amazing Bobrovsky
And a few words about Sergei Bobrovsky . Yes, his stats in the first two games of the Finals were terrible, and Florida lost 4-12 in Las Vegas.
There was even a question for Maurice: “Are they even going to put Bob in goal for the third meeting?” To that, the Panthers head coach joked, “Did you ask 48 hours ago who will win the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP – Bobrovsky or Matthew Tkachuk? And now you ask the question like this…”
Of course, Sergei Bobrovsky at the gates of “Florida” came out. And he made 25 saves, becoming the game’s second star. And if it wasn’t for Bob, especially in the second half when the score went from 1:0 to 1:2, the Panthers wouldn’t have seen a win today. Bobrovsky shot incredibly, frustrated a bunch of Vegas attempts to score another goal, and left his team in the game.
If Florida also wins Game 2 at home, tying the final at 2-2, that will be great. Vegas is a powerful team, and even today the Golden Knights outplayed the Panthers in moments. But you must also show the character of the cup.
Today “Florida” showed that the nerves and stamina of the players were good.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
