Latest news with #SashaBarkov
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Panthers 5, Hurricanes 3
RALEIGH, NC - MAY 28: Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky #72 of the Florida Panthers shakes hands with Sebastian Aho #20 of the Carolina Hurricanes after the Florida Panthers defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on May 28, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. | Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images The Carolina Hurricanes jumped out to an early 2-0 lead off the sharp-shooting of Sebastian Aho, but the Panthers came roaring back with a surge in the second period and eventually took over the game with a 5-3 win to close out the series. It is the third straight season this team has made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Advertisement Seven minutes into the second, the Panthers took advantage of a penalty by Jesperi Kotkaniemi and scored just 16 seconds into the ensuing powerplay, then scored again 30 seconds after that to tie the score and take the momentum. The visitors took a 3-2 lead four minutes after that, but the Hurricanes did not give up. Seth Jarvis took a nice pass from Andrei Svechnikov and scored a pretty goal to make it, 3-3. But Florida was not done. Captain, Sasha Barkov made a nice move and play to get the puck to an open Carter Verhaeghe, who made no mistake for the game-winner. Sam Bennett scored into an empty net to close things out. Advertisement At least the Hurricanes went down swinging. It seemed likely that they would be swept, without a whimper when they went down, 3-0, but that did not happen. They were credited with 48 hits in this game and created several chances. Game Summary - Event Summary - Interviews - There will be plenty of time to dissect and analyze what went wrong this season and what can be done to improve the team. Advertisement Canes Country will be active with a lot of discussion. After following up the end of season interviews, we will provide an opportunity for readers to grade each player, the coaching staff, and front office. Of course we will also be reporting on each signing for the team and will have a draft preview and recap. The season really never ends when it comes to opinions. I want to thank all of our readers, commenting members, and our staff for another successful season here on the site.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Panthers look for third straight win in Raleigh, seeking third straight Stanley Cup Final trip
If at first you don't succeed, eh? For the second time this week, the Florida Panthers will look to punch their ticket to a third straight Stanley Cup Final when they face the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday night. After scoring 16 goals during their first three wins over the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida couldn't keep up with the Canes in Game 4 and were subsequently shutout 3-0. That meant the Cats had to travel back to Raleigh for another chance to dissipate the Hurricanes. Florida will look to recapture the momentum they built during their first visit to Lenovo Center, where they jumped all over Carolina and outscored them 10-2 while taking the first two games of the series. Despite the loss on Monday, the Panthers remain in a good spot, but as they learned during last year's Stanley Cup Final, a big series lead can disappear in the blink of an eye. 'We put ourselves in a great position, great situation, going on the road with a 3-1 lead,' said Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov. 'We just have to bring our best. We were not at our best (in Game 4), and we'll learn from that and be better next game.' The Panthers looked a step slow during Game 4. Breakouts seemed sluggish at times and countless passes just missed, with many being deflected by the Hurricanes' excellent stickwork. 'They played really well,' said Barkov. 'They defended well. They attacked well. It was a great game by them. We were not at our best, so we need to be better.' One thing that could help Florida improve on their Game 4 performance would be the return of one or more of three players who did not suit up due to injury. Each of Sam Reinhart, A.J. Greer and Niko Mikkola were on the ice at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday before the team boarded a flight to Raleigh. Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice indicated there was a chance all three could play in Game 5, saying that they would all skate in the morning and then see how each was feeling. Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Game 5 in Carolina: Evan Rodrigues – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones Nate Schmidt – Dmitry Kulikov Scratches: Mackie Samoskevich, Uvis Balinskis, Jesper Boqvist, Nico Sturm, Jaycob Megna LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers Are Still In Great Place Despite Game 4 Loss NHL releases official logo for 2026 Winter Classic, tickets to go on sale next week Paul Maurice provides update on 3 injured Panthers ahead of Game 5 An excellent playoff team under Paul Maurice, Panthers show how difficult it is to complete sweep Paul Maurice Makes Funny Sergei Bobrovsky Joke After Game 4 Photo caption: May 22, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov (16) celebrates scoring during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes in game two of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
An excellent playoff team under Paul Maurice, Panthers show how difficult it is to complete sweep
They say the fourth win in a best-of-seven series is the most difficult to obtain. It would seem the Florida Panthers can attest to that adage. Florida had an opportunity to sweep the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night when they hosted Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final. All the momentum appeared to be in the Panthers' favor. Not only had they just won three straight against Carolina, including two in the Canes home barn, but Florida had done so by a combined score of 16-4. But alas, the fightin' Hurricanes showed up in Sunrise with their best effort of the series and came away with a resounding 3-0 victory. 'They had their best game of the series,' said Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov. 'They deserved to win. It's okay. We'll learn, we'll recover from this and we'll move on.' Under Paul Maurice, Florida has played 11 playoff series. They have taken a 3-0 lead in five of them. While the Panthers have won every one of those series, they were only able to complete the four-game sweep once: the 2023 conference final against Carolina. We all remember what happened during last season's Stanley Cup Final, when Florida went up 3-0 only to see the series get pushed all the way to a deciding seventh game. The other two times the Panthers opened a series with three consecutive wins were the second round in 2023 against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the 2024 first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In both of those instances, Florida dropped Game 4 but turned right back around and closed out each series in five games. It's that bounce-back mindset that has helped the Panthers avoid any extended periods of losing, whether it's the regular season or the playoffs. 'It's not frustrating, that's hockey,' said Panthers forward Sam Bennet. 'That's the way it goes sometimes. Sometimes you get bounces, sometimes you don't. (In Game 4) we didn't get many bounces, but we also didn't play our best, so I don't think we deserved the bounces.' Florida will board a plane to Raleigh on Tuesday and prepare for their second opportunity to close out the series. The Panthers surely enjoyed their first visits to Lenovo center, winning Games 1 and 2 handily. They will likely draw more from those two victories than from Monday's loss, but this is a veteran team that will be expected Carolina's best once again. Perhaps this time they'll be better prepared to push back. 'We sat back, that's not the norm for us,' said Bennett. 'I'm sure it's a pretty easy fix to turn that around.' LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Paul Maurice Makes Funny Sergei Bobrovsky Joke After Game 4 Three takeaways: Panthers stymied in own zone, power play struggles continue Hurricanes blank Panthers in Game 4 to stay alive in Eastern Conference Final 3 Panthers Who Must Shine In Game 4 vs. Hurricanes Injuries causing Panthers to make several lineup changes ahead of Game 4 against Carolina Photo caption: May 26, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) moves the puck during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes in game four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Three takeaways: Jesper Boqvist fills in beautifully again, Panthers pull away after tight 2 periods
In case you haven't noticed, the Florida Panthers are quite good when it comes to playing in the conference final. Florida skated to an impressive 6-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday, taking a three-games-to-none lead in the best-of-seven series. The Panthers are now just one win away from reaching their third straight Stanley Cup Final. Over the past three seasons, Florida now holds an impressive 11-2 record in the conference final. Both Saturday's game and the series as a whole have been closer than the game scores would lead you to believe, but at the end of the day, the Panthers have won three straight over Carolina by a combined score of 16-4. Let's get to the Game 3 takeaways: BOQVIST BOOST Panthers forward Sam Reinhart suffered a lower-body injury during Game 2 in Raleigh that kept him out of Saturday's win in Sunrise. Filling in for Reinhart, who is considered day-to-day, was Jesper Boqvist, who slotted onto the top line with Sasha Barkov and Evan Rodrigues. The last time Boqvist was slotted into the lineup after missing a few games was in Game 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He skated with Barkov that night and picked up a goal and an assist while helping Florida to a 6-1 win. On Saturday, Boqvist one-upped himself, logging three points, including the goal at the start of the third period that seemingly opened the flood gates for Florida. 'When I say I'm impressed with his game, there's an expectation of what he can do,' said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. 'It's good that he's come in with Barkov, I think in both games, because it's a certain style that he excels at. But as good as that is for him, it's also good for all the other players that aren't in the lineup right now. They see how important you are, how critically important you are. So you say to all those guys, 'stay ready' and then we say, well, you've been ready. You did it all year. Just about all these guys played really important roles for us, but it's good for them, for the guys watching the game, to see how important it is that you stay right.' TIGHT GAME THROUGH TWO Don't be fooled by the final score, as Game 3 was extremely tight through the first 40 minutes. It's been a similar story through the series, as some very close, competitive hockey has been blown up by a few big stretches and periods by the Panthers. That's what will help keep the Panthers grounded as they now focus on winning a fourth game in the series. 'They're playing the game that we expected to play,' said Maurice. 'The emotions of playoffs are different. So when you have the first two (games) that we had, certainly the second the way it went, it's so much closer than you think. And if it wasn't (close) in one game, it doesn't matter, because when they come back and they play the first two periods the way those are played, that's a tight game, and that's what we would expect. So we're going out into the third, we're not thinking it's going to change anything, you're looking for a break. Then once you get to two (goals) and three, but once you get to 2-1, the game has to open up for them, and they're dangerous with that game. They're good at it. And at 3-1, then the game has to open up. So what happens from two to three and then on doesn't matter, because it's not the way this game starts the next game. It goes back to the first period here.' ELIMINATION GAME MINDSET As crazy as it might seem for you longtime Panthers fans, these situations are nothing new to the Cats. Over the past three seasons under Maurice, the Panthers have gone 9-7 in games where they can eliminate their opponent. That includes a 1-3 mark from last year's Stanley Cup Final, which Florida also held a 3-0 series lead. The Panthers have plenty of experience when dealing with the stress and emotion that comes with maneuvering through a playoff series, and that should come in handy as they look to knock out Carolina for the second time in three seasons. 'We're going to find out if we've learned (from our experience),' Maurice said. 'We got up 3-0 on Toronto two years ago and wanted it so bad that we tried to win the game on every play. I think we kind of learned from that. And then you saw last year (in the Stanley Cup Final) we got beat 8-1. It's the same idea. They have the desperation advantage, you have potentially the desire advantage, just the achievement idea that you get to move on, and both teams will fight that. That will be on display in the game. Can we control the desire emotion and play the game? Can they control the desperation emotion and play the game? So what the common denominator is, we're just going to play the game. It's just hockey. There's nothing else to this game but hockey, but neither team is going to feel that coming to the rink.' LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers push Hurricanes to brink with dominant 6-2 victory in Game 3 Important Panthers Forward Ejected From Game 3 For Boarding Charles Barkley 'Hates' Seth Jones For This Hilarious Reason 3 Panthers Who Need Big Performances In Game 3 vs. Hurricanes Sam Reinhart out for Game 3 of Eastern Conference Final Photo caption: May 24, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; The Florida Panthers celebrate the win against the Carolina Hurricanes in game three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Panthers push Hurricanes to brink with dominant 6-2 victory in Game 3
The Florida Panthers are one win away from a return trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Florida played a strong defensive game, limiting the Carolina Hurricanes offensive opportunities and skating to a stingy 6-2 victory in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. Carolina got off to a better start than they had in either of the previous games, outshooting Florida 4-2 in the opening minutes. It didn't stop the Panthers from scoring the first goal of the game for the third time this series. Niko Mikkola collected the puck at the side of Carolina's net and sent a pass toward Sasha Barkov on the doorstep. The puck went off the skate of Dmitry Orlov and past Pytor Kochetkov to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead at the 12:07 mark. After Carolina logged four shots in the game's first 6:30, Florida held them without a shot on goal for 10:01 of game time. With just over three minutes left in the period, Eetu Luostarinen was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding after he hit Jackson Blake into the boards. Florida was able to kill off 4:52 of the penalty before Jerperi Kotkaniemi was called for cross checking Seth Jones to wipe out the final seconds of the man advantage. During the extended power play, the Cats and Canes each logged the same amount of shots on goal: two. Arguably the save of the game came by Sergei Bobrovsky about midway through the second period. With Carolina coming on an odd-man rush, Bobrovsky slid to his right and got his blocker on a one-timer by Logan Stankoven to keep the Hurricanes off the scoreboard a little bit longer. Speaking of Stankoven, he jumped on a rebound with Carolina on the power play late in the period and beat Bobrovsky to tie the game at one. Early in the third period, just after a Florida power play expired, Jesper Boqvist sent the fans inside Amerant Bank Arena into a frenzy. He carried the puck over the blue line, turned Dmitry Orlov inside out with an outside-inside move and slid the puck under Kochetkov to put the Panthers back in front 2-1 just 89 seconds into the final frame. The frenzy got even louder about six minutes later when Mikkola came down the left side of the ice and wired a wrist shot over Kochetkov's glove to double Florida's lead. Just 30 seconds later, Sasha Barkov added a fourth goal after making a great move to his backhand, putting the Panthers up by three in what felt like the blink of an eye. He wasn't done there. Barkov scored again, this time on a shot that went off Shayne Gostisbehere's stick, just 2:36 later to push Florida's lead to 5-1. Brad Marchand got in on the fun a mere 66 seconds later, finishing off a great feed from Anton Lundell, giving the Panthers a five-goal lead. Seth Jarvis added a power play goal for Carolina with 8:59 to go, but at that point it was way too little, too late. On to Game 4. QUICK THOUGHTS Mikkola had one point through the first two rounds of the playoffs, but he's got at least one point in each of the three games against Carolina. He left the game during the third period after taking an awkward tumble into the boards behind Florida's net. Evan Rodrigues is riding a four-game point streak, logging seven assists during the run. Barkov also has points in each of his past four games, with three goals and four assists. Boqvist has two goals and two assists over his past three games. Aaron Ekblad has points in three straight games, picking up an assist on Boqvist's goal. Matthew Tkachuk logged a pair of assists, giving him five points over a three-game point streak. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Important Panthers Forward Ejected From Game 3 For Boarding Charles Barkley 'Hates' Seth Jones For This Hilarious Reason 3 Panthers Who Need Big Performances In Game 3 vs. Hurricanes Sam Reinhart out for Game 3 of Eastern Conference Final Panthers return home for Game 3 of Eastern Conference Final after two convincing wins in Carolina Photo caption: May 24, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven (22) takes a shot on goal as Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) makes a save during the second period in game three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
