During a series of ‘phenomenal hockey,’ Panthers embracing living on edge in playoffs
As a coach, Paul Maurice would probably prefer the Florida Panthers’ Eastern Conference final series against the New York Rangers to have a little more breathing room in his team’s favor.
But as a hockey fan, he’s thoroughly enjoying watching what has unfolded so far.
Three of the first four games of the best-of-7 series have gone to overtime. The other was a one-goal game until the final minutes. The series is tied two games apiece, with every play made or missed being magnified as the margins for error get thinner.
“It’s phenomenal hockey,” Maurice said after Florida’s 3-2 overtime win in Game 4 to level the series. “If you’re up 3-0 [in the series], that’s easy for the coach to say, but it’s 2-2. It’s tight. Great saves at both ends. Incredible skill. Incredible speed. There’s some physicality to it, but it’s also been a really disciplined series. ... If you’re a fan of hockey, you’re going to get entertained.”
The Panthers have had a knack for putting on these entertaining hockey games. So many of their games the past two postseasons have been thrillers. Florida has played 39 playoff games the past two years. Of those, 12 have gone to overtime and 20 overall have been decided by one goal.
Game 4 on Tuesday was no exception, with Florida putting on a stunning display of lockdown defense for 40 minutes only to watch a third-period lead disappear and then rally back to win it all on a picture-perfect sequence during an overtime power-play with Sam Reinhart burying the game-winner.
Every game is played on the edge. Action packed. Big moments waiting to happen.
And the Panthers are feeding off it.
“That’s just our game,” said Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, who had the primary assist on the game-winning goal. “We keep games tight. We want to defend really well and that’s where our offense comes from, too. We’ve had a lot of games that are close: overtime games, 2-1 games, 3-2 games, 1-0 games. We’ve had a lot of those, so experience helps.”
They are hoping that experience can work in their favor as they continue trying to chip away at the Rangers, who won the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s best team in the regular season, and make a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.
“You’ve got to embrace it,” star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. “It’s the conference finals. You knew it was most likely going to end up being even after four games. Each game is very tight. I would say that we’ve probably controlled I would say three out of the four and then Game 2 they played really well. But I think we like the way our game is trending right now. … It’s been a very even series so far. Hopefully we can take control.”
They have shown their ability to dominate the Rangers in spurts.
Take Game 4 as the latest example. Florida trailed 1-0 after an unimpressive first period. They were playing tight. They weren’t taking advantage of opportunities with open ice.
And then, something changed.
“We decided we’re not going to be nervous and whatever happens happens,” forward Carter Verhaeghe said. “That’s kind of how we played.”
Florida put up 13 shot attempts in the first six minutes of the middle frame alone, peppering Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin with a pair of flurries before they finally broke through for two goals in a span of three-and-a-half minutes.
Sam Bennett tied the score 8:45 into the period when he found his own rebound after a wrist shot while speeding toward the net and jammed the puck past Shesterkin from the side.
And then Verhaeghe gave Florida a 2-1 lead at the 12:16 mark on the power play after a Tkachuk centering pass went off Verhaeghe, then off Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren’s back and then into the air before Verhaeghe batted a backhanded shot past Shesterkin.
“We wanted it so bad,” Bennett said. “We were gripping our sticks a little tight in the first and then we started to loosen up and just relaxed, started making more plays and got back to our game that we’ve had success with all year. It was good composure on our part. We just calmed down.”
The Panthers continued to sustain the offense pressure in the third period only for the Rangers to get the lone goal of the frame with Alexis Lafraniere beating Bobrovsky from up close 3:28 into the period.
It felt reminiscent to how Game 3 unfolded — Florida dominating but not able to fully put the game away. In those final two periods of regulation Tuesday, the Panthers had a dominating advantage in shot attempts (68-17), shots on goal (27-10), scoring chances (35-8) and high-danger chances (15-2).
But there they were again, with the game tied and one perfectly executed shot being the difference maker.
On Tuesday, Reinhart’s one-timer from the slot after a 13-second, eight-pass sequence to start the power play proved to be the difference maker.
“There’s no tension,” Bennett said. “Our team’s been great at that, really going back to last year. Any time we’re in those high-pressure situations, overtimes, we’re super relaxed in the locker room, super confident. There’s really no worry. We have the most belief that someone in this locker room’s going to get it done.”
It was a moment of euphoria after back-to-back crushing overtime losses in the two games prior to put Florida in an early hole in the series. The emotional swings are palpable. Maintaining composure throughout them is paramount.
And the Panthers are embracing it.
“You’ve gotta feel it,” Panthers center Anton Lundell said. “There’s only four teams left. Two unbelievable teams are going against each other. You have to battle for every chance, every every shift, every opportunity. At the same time, it’s a grind, but that’s fine. That’s what we’re built for. That’s what we were able to do. We just want to go out there, have fun and try to enjoy it even if it’s tight games.”
This story was originally published May 29, 2024 at 3:01 PM.
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