Barkov’s goal gives Panthers ‘fighting chance’ but not enough in Game 4 loss to Vegas
The shot flew off Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov’s stick before anyone could react. He took the feed that Brandon Montour sent from behind the net, positioned himself in the right circle and fired a snap shot that whizzed past Adin Hill and into the net.
Just like that, the Florida Panthers had life again. A comeback and a chance to tie this Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights wasn’t out of the question.
But that rally ultimately came up short.
Barkov’s early third-period goal — his first goal of the Stanley Cup Final — gave the Panthers life for their final push that ended in a 3-2 loss to the Golden Knights in Game 4 on Saturday at FLA Live Arena. Florida is now down 3-1 in the series and would need to win each of the final three games, starting with Game 5 on Tuesday in Las Vegas, to win its first Stanley Cup.
“Obviously not the result,” Barkov said, “but I think we had a good push back. All we have to do is take that for the next game and play like that the whole game.”
Barkov, the Panthers’ quiet yet respected captain, certainly did his part on Saturday to keep Florida in position to come back after they fell behind 3-0 midway through the second period. He logged the primary assist on Brandon Montour’s goal late in the second that went into Vegas’ net after bouncing off multiple Golden Knights skaters.
And then he scored his own goal 3:50 into the third period to get Florida within a goal of Vegas. The Panthers outshot the Golden Knights 12-8 in the final period, including four shots over the final two-and-a-half minutes with the net empty with hopes of tying the score.
“He’s such a driver,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s quietly been so good for us because it’s not always the overtime winners that draw attention. You love to see those guys elevate their game for their teammates. A big goal to get us back into a fighting chance. With all the faceoffs and all the things he does for us, he’s been great.”
Overall, Barkov led the Panthers with six shots on goal, and the Panthers outshot the Golden Knights 15-9 when Barkov was on the ice. He also won 15 of 24 faceoff attempts and had three other shot attempts blocked.
The Panthers needed the offensive production from Barkov, especially with Matthew Tkachuk missing the majority of the third period.
“He’s been great,” said Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped 28 of 31 goals he faced, including the final 13 he faced after Florida fell behind 3-0 on two goals from Chandler Stevenson and a third from William Karlsson. “He’s our captain. He’s leading us.”
Now, the Panthers will need their captain to step up the rest of the way if they want any chance to pull off the biggest comeback of their season and win a Stanley Cup.
“You’ve got to win four,” Barkov said. “It’s 3-1. They’re one win way. We’re three wins away. All we can do is think about one game and bring it back to Florida [for Game 6]. That’s our goal.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2023 at 12:20 AM.
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