
In Barkov They Trust: The Panthers, led by their captain, are headed back to the Stanley Cup Final
The entire play took eight seconds, and basically summed up why the Florida Panthers have enormous, nonstop belief in Aleksander Barkov.
Third period, Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, game tied at 3. Barkov picks up the puck in the right corner. He skates around the end boards, as Carolina defenseman Dmitry Orlov is trying to use his entire 214-pound frame to move Barkov one direction or the other. Orlov had no chance.
Barkov stopped on a dime, turned around, ducked back toward the net and slid the puck to a place that only Florida's Carter Verhaeghe could reach. Verhaeghe turned that pass into the winner, and with that, the Panthers were headed back to their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final.
In Barky They Trusted. Again.
'Such a great player,' Verhaeghe said. 'It was such a great play by him. It was all him.'
The funny part is that Barkov would hate hearing such praise, and he surely would never say anything like that about himself. He is a most unassuming superstar, someone who doesn't care about the spotlight, someone who was legitimately surprised when fans recognized him last year at a Florida Atlantic basketball game in Boca Raton — about 20 minutes north of where the Panthers play their home games.
But he is Florida's best player. And he has led the defending Stanley Cup champions back to the title round for a third consecutive season.
'He's one of the best in the world at that, if not the best,' Florida forward Sam Reinhart said. 'He's got so much strength. Big players make big plays at the biggest moments when you need them, and he's certainly the leader of this team.'
Florida moves on to face either Edmonton or Dallas in the Stanley Cup Final. There will be intrigue either way.
If the Oilers — who lead the Stars 3-1 in the Western Conference finals — get there, it'll be the 11th title-round rematch in the Stanley Cup era and the first since Pittsburgh and Detroit played for the trophy in 2008 and 2009.
If the Stars get there, it'll pit Panthers coach Paul Maurice against Dallas coach Peter DeBoer, his former assistant in the Ontario Hockey League and one of his closest friends. It'll also be the first times Florida and Dallas play each other in the U.S. this season; their two matchups this year were in Finland back in November, the Panthers winning both.
'The most important step is ahead of us,' goalie Sergei Bobrovsky said.
The Panthers are the ninth franchise in NHL history to make the Stanley Cup Final in at least three consecutive seasons. Barkov became the first Finnish captain to get the honor of having the inaugural hoist of the Cup when Florida won the title last year, and he was there through a lot of lean years for the Panthers. Forget the Cup final; the Panthers couldn't make the playoffs for much of their history.
That seems so long ago now. No team has played more postseason games in the last four years than the Panthers, and there's at least four more games this season left to go.
'I think it was a long time coming,' Barkov said. 'Obviously, there's been a lot of work put in by this organization to become better and reach the level where we want to win Stanley Cups, we want compete for Stanley Cups every single year. There are 31 other teams in the league and it's hard every single year. They want to do that too, so it's not easy. But we've managed to do it three years in a row, which is, I think, an incredible achievement so far.'
Aaron Ekblad is in his 11th season as a Panther — one behind Barkov — and he remembers those tough times. Florida once missed the playoffs by a point during their tenure; some years, they missed by five or six wins. They weren't terrible. They just weren't that good.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
But he remembers why he always remained steadfast in the belief that the franchise would get to this point.
'We've always had Sasha Barkov,' Ekblad said. 'So, there was always hope, especially in those down years. We always had Barky to lead the way.'
He led then. He led now. And another trip to the final awaits.
___
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CTV News
37 minutes ago
- CTV News
Oilers' Jake Walman fined for roughing, unsportsmanlike conduct in Game 3
The Edmonton Oilers fell 6-1 to the Florida Panthers on Monday in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Edmonton Oilers defenceman Jake Walman was fined $10,000 for his actions during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final in Florida on Monday. After a fight broke out involving Walman, Edmonton's John Klingberg and Florida's Matthew Tkachuk at 14:44 in the third period, Walman was given minor penalties for roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct. This incident resulted in a $5,000 fine, which is the maximum allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the NHL announced Tuesday. Walman, Tkachuk and Klingberg Jake Walman, John Klingberg and Matthew Tkachuk in a fight during GAme 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday, June 9, 2025. (Sportsnet) Walman was handed another $5,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct after squirting water at Panthers players on their bench at 16:49 of the second period. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. Emotions ran high in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Panthers, with Edmonton's Darnell Nurse and Florida's Jonah Gadjovich getting fighting majors after a brawl in the third period.


The Province
40 minutes ago
- The Province
Flustered and frustrated Edmonton Oilers losing grip on Stanley Cup
The team was outmatched and laid a giant egg in Game 3 against Florida Panthers Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) scores a goal against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) during the second period of Game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup final Monday, June 9, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. Photo by Lynne Sladky / AP Oh oh. Edmonton's grip on the Stanley Cup is slipping a little. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Maybe a lot. It's nothing they can't tighten. And the situation isn't desperate. It's not like they're dangling from the edge of a 40-storey building after just applying hand lotion. All they need is a split out of Florida and they're back in charge of the final. But Monday night in Sunrise was rather unnerving. And not just because the Game 3 winner when a Stanley Cup Final was tied 1-1 holds an all-time series record of 23-7 (.767). After razor-thin margins sent the first two games of the series to overtime, Game 3 was a clean kill for the Panthers. Florida ran the show from start to finish, thumping the bewildered Oilers in every aspect of the game in a harrowing 6-1 beatdown. 'It's disappointing, obviously,' said Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who was held pointless in the loss. 'Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, you'd like to play better. We never got to our game. I don't think our best has shown up all series long, but it's coming.' Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Panthers played the Oilers like a fiddle. They hit them hard, they took dives and drew penalties when the Oilers hit back, they laughed at them in the scrums, bathed in the poor officiating that plagues most NHL playoff games and feasted on the energy and chaos that had the Oilers so flustered. As poised and experienced as the Oilers are, they aren't in Florida's league when it comes to the Dark Arts. They're not going to out-Panther the Panthers, try as they might. 'You look at some of the calls, some of them are frustrating,' said Oilers winger Evander Kane, who took two minors in the first eight minutes and then a minor and misconduct in the third period. 'They seem to get away with more than we do. It's tough to find the line. They're doing just as much stuff as we are, but there seems to be a little more attention paid to our group.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. As lost as the officials were, Kane isn't blaming anyone but the Oilers for the loss. 'We didn't play very well, we have nobody to blame but ourselves,' he said. 'We can definitely be a lot better.' And the Panthers beat them in the skill department, too, with Florida's big dogs dominating their Oilers counterparts. Brad Marchand, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Evan Rodrigues and Aaron Ekblad all scored for the defending champions. Forty-year-old Corey Perry was the only Oiler to get on the board. Losing two in a row for the first time since the opening two games of the Los Angeles series moves the Oilers into dangerous territory — they're a Game 4 loss away from being right back where they were last year. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It was supposed to be an epic battle, but the Oilers did everything in their power to spot Florida a nice cushion in the first period. They got caught running around in front of their own net on the first shift of the game, leading to Marchand's goal at 56 seconds, and then took four minor penalties, with Verhaeghe scoring on the last one at 17:45. 'When you start the first with four penalties, that's half the period you're killing,' said McDavid. 'Not a good way to get into your game. Our power play isn't able to get one, their power play gets one and you're in a hole right away in a tough building against a really good team. It's not easy to chase then.' Edmonton went from bad to worse in the middle period. They closed it to 2-1 on Perry's power play goal at 1:40, but surrendered the next two — one from Reinhart one from Bennett on yet another Florida breakaway. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We score a power play goal in the second period, make it 2-1, and 'all right,' we've got a game,'' said head coach Kris Knoblauch. 'Next shift they score and I think that was about it for us. I don't think we found our footing after that goal.' As is usually the case in a blowout playoff game, the third period descended into anger and chippiness, with the referees handing out 26 penalties, including two fighting majors and eight misconducts. It was about the only part of the evening where the Oilers held their own. 'We feel like we can play any game,' said McDavid, dismissing any notion that the Oilers don't want to be dragged into an alley with Florida. 'When the game is out of hand you're going to see that stuff. When we get into garbage time those things happen and I don't mind that. It's what good teams do, fight your way out of the rink. I don't mind that in garbage time but the penalties in the first hurt us.' LATE HITS: Connor McDavid went to the dressing room after a big hit from Ekblad but returned a few moments later. … Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner got the hook in favour of Calvin Pickard 3:27 into the third period after Florida scored on the power play to take a 5-1 lead on 23 shots. … Darnell Nurse and Jonah Gadjovich delivered a marathon third-period fight when it was time for message sending in the third period. E-mail: rtychkowski@ Local News News Vancouver Canucks News Vancouver Canucks


Winnipeg Free Press
41 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Brad Marchand embraces Panthers' rat-throwing tradition, which goes back 30 years
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — There's a giant, gold-outlined rat emblazoned on the hat that dangles in Brad Marchand's locker. The scrappy NHL veteran has been likened to the tiny rodent for much of his career, notoriously known as 'The Rat' among hockey fans for his brash play. So when Marchand was traded from Boston to Florida back in March, it didn't take long for him to embrace Panthers fans' longstanding tradition of tossing plastic rats onto the ice after wins. 'I hope we get some rats thrown at us,' Marchand quipped at his locker on Sunday, before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. 'I just hope it's on the ice and not outside.' Marchand got his wish. After the Panthers routed the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 on Monday, those unmistakable gray pests rained down on the ice in a tradition that has lasted three decades. As they've done after most games this postseason, Marchand's teammates fired the rats at his legs before exiting the ice. For Marchand, getting the rats thrown at him is like a badge of honor — a tiny, symbolic moment that represents how the Panthers have been able to keep things lighthearted while going for their second straight championship. 'This group has a ton of fun,' Marchand said. 'It's an incredible environment to be a part of. In the room, on the ice, even just in the city, there's a lot of excitement around right now.' The rat-throwing tradition goes back 30 years Before their 1995-96 season opener, Panthers players were waiting to take the ice in a cramped, makeshift dressing room at the now-demolished Miami Arena when a large rat scampered in. 'Players were jumping on top of their stalls … big, tough hockey players,' said Billy Lindsay, Panthers left wing from their expansion season in 1993 to 1999, 'most of us were pretty scared of this big rat running around. We were ducking for cover everywhere.' Right wing Scott Mellanby then grabbed his stick and one-timed the rat into the wall. The rodent went flying across the dressing room. It died as soon as it hit the wall. Players later memorialized it by circling the small dent in the blood-stained wall and placing a rat statue there for the year. The Panthers went out and beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 that night. Mellanby scored a pair of goals with that same stick. 'Scott Mellanby didn't even have time to really tape his stick,' Lindsay said. 'So he's got a little rat and blood there on his stick and went out there and scored a couple of goals.' In his postgame news conference, goalie John Vanbiesbrouck noted that Mellanby had the NHL's first 'rat trick.' The incident was in the local paper the next day. About a week or so later, a toy rat hit the ice after a home game. The next game, there were a couple more. By the end of that season, which included Lindsay scoring the game-winning goal that clinched Florida's first ever playoff series win, the rat throwing had become such a phenomenon that the team earned a sponsorship from the pest control company Orkin. 'And funny enough, it's still around today,' Lindsay said, 'which is quite strange.' 'It's a feeling you can't replicate' Sports traditions are ubiquitous. Some are sacred. Many are quirky. And they can include just about anything. There's the Lambeau Leap at Green Bay Packers games. The 'Gatorade Bath' after a win in the NFL. LeBron James' patented pregame chalk toss. Detroit Red Wings fans occasionally celebrate wins by throwing octopuses on the ice. The Nashville Predators have their catfish toss. For the Panthers, who at the time were in just their third season as an NHL franchise, the rat throwing — buoyed by the fact that Florida made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final that year — became the first real way they got the South Florida fans in a non-traditional hockey market to embrace their team. Colin Fox, 32, a Panthers fan from Boca Raton, Florida, said it's 'a thrill' to be a part of the rat throwing at the end of games. 'Even when they weren't very good, when they weren't on these hot streaks, there were still rats on the ice,' said Fox, who wore a throwback Mellanby jersey to Game 3 of the final. 'It's something that has persevered through the years.' For opposing teams, the rats are often a nuisance, Lindsay said, recalling how some goalies would hide in their net between goals to try and escape them. So many hit the ice after that initial season the NHL changed its rules to say such in-game celebrations could lead to penalties, though the league still allowed rats to be thrown after games. There's plenty of rat-themed memorabilia for sale at Panthers games, and the plastic rodents themselves can be purchased all over Miami. At gas stations. Party stores. Some fans order them online. The rats that Panthers fan JP Kirkpatrick, 23, tossed onto the ice after a game this season came from a fan sitting next to him who brought plenty of extras. 'It's a feeling you can't replicate,' said Kirkpatrick, an Orlando, Florida, native. 'It's something you can't get (anywhere else). You've got to be there to get it. You can't watch it on TV. You can't get it in the parking lot. You've got to be out there, be in the seat. The fans, everybody there, it's electric.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. No one from that 1995 Panthers group thought they'd be a part of creating a lasting, iconic symbol for the team, but as they look back on that moment amid all the Panthers' recent success, they're proud of what it's become. 'There's been enough people from back then to hang on to the tradition and pass it along,' Lindsay said. 'And now you get this unparalleled success where you get three Stanley Cup appearances in a row, you win a Stanley Cup championship, you're looking for a second. And that rat is just (still) going. 'It just makes me proud of what we started.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and