Florida Panthers are champions! The triumph of the team, which features Russian star veterans Sergei Bobrovsky, Dmitry Kulikov and Vladimir Tarasenko, was expected a week ago, when the Panthers were 3-0 after the first three games of the final series against the Edmonton Oilers. Their historic victory was never in doubt until the Oilers did the impossible, returning to the battle and leveling the series. There are only three such comebacks in the Stanley Cup finals in the history of the NHL, and before the decisive meeting in Sunrise, the Oilers were already seen as the favorites.
“Florida wants to win the first Stanley Cup in its history at home,” so , a little jokingly, many hockey fans and journalists argued, as if hinting that the “Panthers” were not against giving Edmonton one game. But the joke dragged on until the seventh game, and then Bobrovsky and Co. got down to business. when they had already been dubbed a spineless gang.
The last game of the series was not like the previous three, in which the Panthers looked downright bad and uninspired. Now Paul Maurice's men have reminded everyone why they were considered a truly formidable force throughout the season. Already in the fifth minute, Carter Verhaeghe, after an unused chance in the power play, still beat Edmonton goalkeeper Stuart Skinner, scoring a goal after an excellent set-up at the goal.
But Edmonton also acted effectively. One of the main heroes of this playoffs, Connor McDavid, went into the shadows at the most crucial moment. The players from the lower echelons had to do the work for their captain, and Matthias Janmark coped with this task, quickly returning the Oilers to the game.
Edmonton, in principle, looked very dangerous in attack, periodically not letting the Panthers out of their zone. This situation especially stood out in the second period, when Florida had to openly fight back. But the Panthers benefited from this in the best possible way.
Dmitry Kulikov is the unsung hero of this “Florida”. But the Russian veteran can be considered a legend of the club to which he devoted many years of his career and made a glorious return to the franchise for which he debuted in the NHL. His save at the end of the second 20 minutes, when he saved Sergei Bobrovsky from a missed puck, eventually resulted in an assist, when Sam Reinhart again put the “Panthers” ahead. Chic. Shine. Beauty!
This episode finally gave Bobrovsky confidence that he would be the one to lift the Stanley Cup over his head today. In the third period, the Edmonton hockey players literally laid siege to the Panthers' possessions in an attempt to win back, but the legendary Russian goalkeeper was categorically against it. A number of his saves during the decisive period of the match defy any description. Bob was great. As always. Connor McDavid and company never found a way to break through the great Russian again.
2:1 — “Florida” withstood the pressure and showed what a champion’s character is. And Sergei Bobrovsky, although he was left without the Conn Smythe Trophy, which McDavid took, will always be a legend and champion in our hearts. It was Bob who, second after Panthers captain Alexander Barkov, took the trophy into his hands and raised it above his head. And Canada was left with nothing: clubs from the Land of the Maple Leaf have not been able to achieve victory since 1993.
“”An amazing moment. We worked all our lives to make this happen. I can’t believe it. It's amazing. We played for each other, I love these guys!” – great words of a great hockey player.
National Hockey League (NHL)June 25, 2024 • starts at 03:00Finished
FloridaUSA2 : 1< img src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/214137c0afe222471ed4ccfbdfe09bc1.png" />EdmontonCanada
04:27 • Carter Verhaeg (Evan Rodriguez, Anton Lundell)
35:11 • Sam Rinehart (Carter Verhaeg , Dmitry Kulikov)
06:44 • Matthias Janmark-Nylen (Cody Ceci)
Recent Comments