So we had a series after all.
A change of scenery and returning home helped Florida Newspapers regained their mojo when the 8th seed Eastern took the lead won overtime 3-2 to pull within 2-1 of vegas golden knight in the Stanley Cup Final.
of Florida Matthew Tkachuk scored with 2:13 left in accordance with the rules to force overtime, then Carter Verhaeghe hit at 4:27 of overtime to win.
What did we learn in Game 3? What can the Panthers do to tighten things up even further and how can the Golden Knights solidify their position?
ESPN reporters Kristen Shilton, Ryan S. Clark, Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan check in with their takeaways from Game 3:
Help from behind
Florida absolutely needs the defense to start making an offensive contribution. Brandon Montour Everything went smoothly with a lightning strike in Game 3. Vegas had three goals from the blueliners while the Panthers had no goals (and, the team only had four in total). . Montour scored five goals in Florida’s first-round win over Boston, but hasn’t lit up since Game 1 of the second round against Toronto.
Montour said Wednesday he feels opportunities are coming and will multiply from there as they happen. The new dad made good on his word with the opening shot in Game 3. It’s just what the Panthers needed on all fronts — their rear was pre-engaged, Montour showed up on the scoreboard after 10 games. pointless drought and Florida took the lead. — Shilton
Bob is fine
If there is a question mark about scoring in Game 3 — after Sergei Bobrovsky pulled into Game 2, after his fourth goal was allowed and eighth in the youth series – Panthers coach Paul Maurice didn’t want to hear that. Maurice accused reporters of making up the story because they had too much time with an extra day off when the series moved to Florida. He also reminded the media that 48 hours earlier, many wondered if it was possible to split Conn Smythe — for the playoff MVP — between Bobrovsky and Matthew Tkachuk.
So no, the Panthers aren’t turning their backs on the guy who got them to this point, the highest-paid goalkeeper in the league. Bobrovsky repaid that belief with an overall acoustic performance. He made some particularly brilliant saves to keep the score 1-1 in the second half. Florida won’t get better performance from redundancy Alex Lyon, who hasn’t started a game since April 21 in the first round against Boston. — kaplan
Marchessault marches
All in all, it’s at least a bit funny as “Vegas franchise record!” cards are thrown around because, you know, the Golden Knight only lasted six years. However, Jonathan Marchessault continuing his incredible post-season with a record eight games after a franchise record season is impressive. Marchessault support on mark stonegoals followed his power play in the first game, and added to his success with the second-half score, his 13th in the knockout round. That makes him only the third player in the past 35 years to score in the first three games of a Cup Final (along with Steve Yzerman and Steve Yzerman). Jake Guentzel).
Marchessault seems to have surprised the hockey world with his playoff prowess, and being able to leave a permanent mark on the books is a well-deserved reward for the striker’s efforts. Without a doubt, Marchessault’s production will continue to be a key factor in the success of Golden Knights as the series goes on. — Shilton
Persuasive argument
Call him Conn-athan Marchessault. The Vegas striker finished Game 3 with the team leading in goals and points. The goal in Mark Stone’s 4v3 power play came from Marchessault’s pass from the blue line. Marchessault’s second-stage power play tally gave the Golden Knights the lead. It was his ninth goal on the road in the knockout stages and the fifth game in a row in which he scored a goal. Sportsbooks have made him a fan of bets for Conn Smythe, and for good reason: The Vegas forward has risen from two points in his first seven knockouts to become the who leads a team to victory two points away from the Stanley Cup. — Wyshynski
Vegas’ super power…
Vegas’ consistency in special teams has been a game changer in this series. The Golden Knights had two powerplay opportunities in just the first period, and Mark Stone took advantage of a 4v3 opportunity late in the bracket to destroy a pretty solid start to Florida.
Vegas took the lead for most of the first time as Florida made it difficult for the Golden Knights to even complete a breakout line. But what separates Vegas from the Panthers — and may continue to be — is making the most of what’s given to them. The Knights red-hot power game is a great example of how quickly momentum changes can happen when the stakes are so high. — Shilton
… and prolonged power outages in Florida
Three shots on goal. That’s all the power play of the Panthers was able to muster in their first three chances in Game 3. For all the items that proved to be problematic for the Panthers in the match. Cup Finals, the lack of power play production was the main cause among them. Surname. The lack of footage makes the passer-by advantage from a plus on Florida’s road to the final only a serious problem in the quest to win the first title in franchise history.
Panthers are 0 to 3 entering the third inning. Total? The Panthers are 0 to 10 in the power game in the series. It was a jarring revelation for a team that finished with a No 10 power play in the regular season and had a post-season success rate of 27.9% in the series.
Another statistic that amplifies the Panthers’ struggles: The Golden Knights are 14th out of 16 teams that made it to the post-season round in a penalty shootout with a 63% success rate before facing the Panthers. — Clark
difficult enough
Similarities between Jack Eichel and Matthew Tkachuk were recorded in full in this series. Two US-born superstars, acquired from the teams that originally drafted them, had a transformative effect on the Golden Knights and Panthers, respectively. They are scoring the lead for their team, they play with swagger. Two sides of a coin.
That extends to the corporal punishment they carried out in the series. Recall in Game 2 when Eichel tried to skate with the ball and ended up being killed by Tkachuk in a check. Eichel skates in front of fans and teammates. But he came back some time later and set up a goal.
Just 5:54 in the first inning of Game 3, Tkachuk received a pass in his area near the blue line. When he turned on the tape, a streak of Keegan Kolesar cast as Tkachuk, knocking the Panthers star to the ice. When Tkachuk returned to the Panthers’ bench, he was reviewed by the team’s coach. He returned for a shift in a Panthers power game, but then left the bench and bench for the rest of his time. He didn’t play at the start of the second half, but eventually returned and skated in regular shifts, while enduring punishment from the Knights guardians.
In either case, the toughness of these two speedy superstars is Cup-worthy. — Wyshynski
Size everything up
Given what Marchessault is doing and the fact that the NHL draft is coming out later this month, it seems like a good time to restart the conversation about scale. Watch a 5 foot 9 man on skates fly around and terrorize a team that once hired him to create an amusing theater. But it also raises a question about the importance of size.
Look at this year’s Cup final. Elite Prospects lists the Golden Knights as the NHL’s fifth-highest team while the Panthers rank 29th. They are proof that teams can be of contrasting size but still be able to compete for the championship.
Now consider this year’s top prospects. Connor Bedard, the alleged #1 pick, stands around 5-10. Matvei Michkov, who is expected to be in the top three picks, is also listed at position 5-10. Will Smith, who has a chance to be the pick of the top five, is just under 6 feet tall. Those three along with Ryan Leonard, Gabriel Perreault, Brayden Yager, Zach Benson and Oliver Moore are all examples of top strikers in this year’s draft class who have been listed at 5-11 or shorter. . — Clark
