SUNRISE, Fla. — Matthew Tkachuk got here thru for Florida as soon as again, whilst Sergei Bobrovsky close down Carolina as soon as again. After 27 years, the Florida Panthers are headed to play for the Stanley Cup after sweeping the Eastern Conference ultimate, finishing their standing as a hockey punchline.
Tkachuk scored his 2nd target of the recreation with most effective 4.9 seconds closing, main the Panthers to a 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes and a place in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1996. They will compete towards both Vegas or Dallas, with Vegas these days main the Western Conference identify collection 3-0.
“This was pure joy,” mentioned Panthers trainer Paul Maurice. Bobrovsky stopped 36 pictures to cap off his stellar efficiency during the collection, with 4 video games, 4 one-goal wins, and a .966 save proportion after preventing 174 of the 180 pictures he confronted. He ensured that the Panthers’ 10 targets in the collection would suffice for a victory.
As the No. 8 seed and ultimate group to input the playoffs, the Panthers had been the longest of lengthy pictures given their historical past. However, they gained their first playoff collection in 26 years ultimate season and feature now established themselves as the beasts of the East.
Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes took a tripping penalty with 57 seconds left in legislation, putting in the power-play that Tkachuk completed off in the slot to win the recreation.
“It’s amazing,” mentioned Bobrovsky. “We showed the resilience … and we’re lucky to have Chucky on our side. He knows how to score big goals.”
After receiving the Prince of Wales Trophy from NHL Senior Vice President Brian Jennings, the captain Aleksander Barkov, who had two assists in the recreation, opted no longer to move it round; saving it for the large prize, the Stanley Cup.
Spectators threw toy rats—the group’s conventional nod to the undesirable locker room visitors from Florida’s outdated enviornment in 1996—onto the rink to characterize a victory that persisted an legitimate evaluate.
Paul Stastny and Teuvo Teravainen of the Hurricanes scored the first two targets of the recreation, with Brady Skjei and Jordan Martinook incomes two assists each and every. Andersen stopped 21 pictures.
“We’re in the recreation. We did not lose 4 video games. We were given beat, however we had been proper there,” said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour. “This collection can have long past a lot another way.”
But Tkachuk used to be seize, and Bobrovsky used to be at his perfect to lead the Panthers in opposition to their target. With a towel waving, strobe lighting flashing, and their lovers supporting, the Panthers are as shut to the Cup as they have got ever been.
“It’s been unbelievable since July since I got here,” mentioned Tkachuk. “And confidently, we will be able to cap off this wonderful yr.”