EDMONTON, Alberta — Following their leaders who bought them this far within the playoffs and a successful recipe that has labored all season, the Florida Panthers are on the verge of lifting the Stanley Cup.
Captain Aleksander Barkov arrange a objective and scored one other, Sergei Bobrovsky made a number of the largest of his 32 saves to thwart a comeback bid, and the Panthers held on to beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in Sport 3 of the Stanley Cup Ultimate on Thursday night time.
They’ll win the primary title in franchise historical past as quickly as Sport 4 on Saturday night time in Edmonton.
“We all know it should be the toughest sport for certain,” Barkov stated. “We do not take something with no consideration. Each single day is someday at a time. Whether or not it is one interval, one shift, we take it separately. That is how we have been all yr.”
Florida took one other step towards hockey’s mountaintop by pouncing on a handful of Edmonton turnovers and protecting Connor McDavid from scoring a objective. A late rally bought the Oilers inside one however fell quick, because the Panthers leaned on Bobrovsky, who made a highlight-reel cease on Ryan McLeod within the remaining minutes to protect the victory.
“They’re a really skillful offensive crew,” Bobrovsky stated. “They are going to make performs. You simply deal with every one, and it is a enjoyable problem. It is a enjoyable problem to play towards them as a result of they carry the most effective.”
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Lengthy earlier than that, Barkov compelled one of many giveaways by Evan Bouchard seconds earlier than Sam Reinhart’s objective, netminder Stuart Skinner coughed up the puck on Vladimir Tarasenko’s, and Darnell Nurse gave it away on Sam Bennett’s.
“We allow them to take that momentum and stride with it,” Skinner stated. “Simply sort of foolish errors. That does not must occur.”
Barkov had one of many signature moments by getting previous the protection and beating Skinner on a breakaway, quieting for a while the gang fired up for the primary Stanley Cup Ultimate sport with followers in Edmonton since 2006. That sequence resulted in defeat for the Oilers.
To keep away from that destiny this time and finish Canada’s Stanley Cup drought, they might want to full a comeback from down 3-0 that has been accomplished simply 4 instances in NHL playoff historical past — and as soon as within the remaining all the way in which again in 1942.
The final yr a crew based mostly in Canada received the Stanley Cup was Montreal in 1993, months earlier than the Panthers’ inaugural season. Till this sequence, they’d gone 1-8 within the remaining.
Behind Barkov and Bobrovsky, Florida has completely flipped that script. The 2 main candidates for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP have been arguably the 2 finest gamers on the ice in Sport 3, together with Barkov bouncing again from a excessive hit from Leon Draisaitl that knocked him out of Sport 2 on Monday night time.
“Simply from the beginning, our compete and our will and the need to win this one was enormous,” Bennett stated. “Everybody right down to our goalie have been battling their butts off. It was good to see the hassle. You both have it, or you do not. Now we have 23 canine on our crew which have that may. You both have it, or you do not.”
Winger Matthew Tkachuk, one other large cause the Panthers bought right here, had an enormous help and was answerable for turning up the stress on Edmonton.
The Oilers wilted beneath it, dropping a sport during which they largely have been the higher crew however couldn’t overcome ill-timed miscues. Skinner allowed 4 objectives on 23 photographs, and Warren Foegele, Philip Broberg and McLeod scored, whereas McDavid for the primary time all playoffs seemed annoyed and out of types.
“We’re attempting to determine them out,” stated McDavid, who put 5 photographs on web. “We have not beat them in three video games. We have had stretches which can be good, stretches which can be unhealthy.”
Bogging down elite opponents and defending them to the purpose of second-guessing their means to attain are enormous components of the Panthers’ type and an enormous cause they’re on the league’s largest stage, placing the chilly ones on ice for a possible championship celebration 2,500 miles from dwelling.
By holding on to beat Edmonton on Thursday night time, additionally they confirmed no in poor health results from ready to fly from South Florida to Alberta, a choice that was questioned when their airplane was delayed by storms and bought in a couple of hours late Wednesday — lower than 24 hours earlier than puck drop. As an alternative of trying jet-lagged, the Panthers have been primed to pounce on alternatives to attain and delivered when it mattered most.
“We hold staying with the second,” Bobrovsky stated. “We do not suppose an excessive amount of forward of ourselves. We’re simply staying with the second and benefit from the second.”