The Chucky & Bob Show! Florida Panthers win in OT again, lead East finals 2-0 over Carolina | Opinion
Call the latest episode the Chucky & Bob Show. Heck, just make it the Chucky & Barky & Bob Show. But who in their right mind would ever believe this script?
They star in a totally unrealistic series plot about a No. 8 seed NHL team that barely makes the playoffs, beats two heavily favored opponents in a row and now is up 2-0 on the third in the Eastern Conference finals.
In the latest unlikely plot development, Matthew Tkachuk (Chucky) scored the winning goal just 1:51 into overtime in Saturday night’s episode to win at Carolina, 2-1, and lift the underdog Florida Panthers two wins away from the Stanley C up Final.
Aleksander Barkov (Barky) scored the crucial tying goal in a fit of magic.
And sidekick Sergei Bobrovsky (Bob) stopped the last 35 shots sent his way to secure the victory as the team heads home to its Sunrise rink for Game 3 Monday night -- and its first Eastern finals home game in 27 years.
Bob deflects praise as if it were an opponent’s shot.
“Happy to be here. It’s the best time to play hockey,” he said after his latest heroics. “It’s a privilege for me to be in this group of guys. It’s great. It’s happy.”
Said Tkachuk of his goalie: “He’s been making world-class saves. He’s playing lights out right now.”
(Everybody on the Cats has a nickname, by the way. Except coach Paul Maurice. He’s just Paul Maurice.)
Chucky, Barky and Bob are the Panthers’ three biggest stars and highest-paid players, and they are rising like the prettiest sunrise you’ve ever seen.
But this isn’t the only who’d-ever-believe-that story come to real life.
The Miami Heat, South Florida’s other No. 8 seed chasing dreams, brings a 2-0 Eastern finals lead over Boston back to Miami for Game 3 on Sunday night.
It’s one thing to ask us to believe in miracles. But two at once?l
Tkachuk’s winning goal came just seconds into a power play for Florida -- which had been 0-for-5 a man up in the game -- and was his third OT game-winner of this postseason and second straight, tying an NHL record.
“It was kind of due,” said Barkov of the power-play score.
(That Jonathan Huberdeau trade, by the way -- it worked out pretty good. To anyone who still disagrees, well, don’t take it personally, Mrs. Huberdeau.)
The Panthers needed parts of 11 periods to do what they just did. Has a 2-0 series lead ever been harder-earned?
“Let’s get out of here. It’s been a lot of hockey,” said Tkachuk.
Florida is now a surreal 6-0 in overtime in the playoffs.
Teams up 2-0 in a best-of-seven across NHL history go on to advance 86.2 percent of the time. Florida has wrested away home-ice advantage and now would play three of the possible five remaining games in Sunrise.
Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour called Thursday’s four-overtime loss the “worst way to lose.” How about losing two-OT games in a row, both at home?
Who is sadder or angrier right now, Carolina fans or Boston fans?
Florida flies home on an unbelievable high to face a team that cannot possibly be more demoralized.
Maybe against odds the series is just getting good? That would be in keeping with this crazy script.
This was the first time since 1977 an NHL conference finals series had begun with two straight overtime games.
You expected zombies on ice in Game 2 after the four-overtime marathon two nights earlier? You had the right. Even the teams weren’t sure what to expect after the sixth-longest game in NHL history.
“Everyone’s feeling it, playing 2 1/2 games in one night,” as Florida’s Sam Reinhart put it after Saturday’s optional morning skate.
Said the coach, Maurice: “There will be a little fatigue mixed into the series now, playing every other day.”
Fatigue was not evident as the puck dropped Saturday. Not even close. The pace was insane, and desperate Carolina was leading it.
The Hurricanes were up 1-0 less than two minutes in when Jalen Chatfiield’s redirect at the front of the crease found Bobrovsky helpless.
Carolina used a different goaltender Saturday. Maurice had been asked if he might, too, and, after little deliberation, answered, “No.”
Florida surged back to tie the game all of 61 seconds later — except they didn’t. Gustav Forsling’s would-be tying goal was disallowed on review by an offside penalty. It was the Panthers’ second disallowed goal in as many games, but replays indicated it was offside, though barely.
The Panthers quickly had a power play that failed, leaving them 0-for-4 with a man advantage in this young series. Worse, the Cats got dominated by the disadvantaged team, with Carolina generating the puck control and shots on goal.
Carolina led 11-1 in shots at that point, six of them, short-handed.
Special teams have not been the Cats’ friend. While their power play has struggled early this series, Carolina has scored 15 PP goals this postseason, most of any team. Maurice mentioned that Florida’s penalty-kill game needed to be better.
The Canes thought they’d taken a 2-0 lead but also had a goal disallowed on review by offside.
It was an action-packed opening period by two teams that should have been tired, one that ominously (for Florida) found Carolina up 20-6 in shots on goal, 20 the most by any team in one period this postseason. And all 20 came in the first 12 minutes as the Canes came out crazed.
The frenetic pace slowed but the intensity never did. Twice the game paused with skirmishes involving a handful of players. I have never seen as many broken sticks on the ice.
The second period was Barkov’s redemption.
He got sent off for holding, Florida killed the penalty, and 40 seconds after he was back on, Barkov tied the score 1-1 with a gorgeous display of patience in a sports that moves blur-fast.
A defensive lapse found Barkov alone with the puck in front of the net. But he hesitated, faked a shot between the legs that had the goalie dropping to defend, juked right and lifted the puck over him. Brilliant.
“I’ve never seen that before,” said Maurice. “He is least-showboating player I’ve ever coached, by far.“
TNT analyst Wayne Gretzky called it one of the prettiest playoff goals hes seen.
As the second period ended tied, I believe I spoke for all of America in thinking, “No overtime, please. Please!?”
(It didn’t work.)
It went into to overtime, again. But barely this time.
Thanks to Chucky & Bob.
This story was originally published May 20, 2023 at 11:26 PM.
