If you didn’t know this by now, the Panthers are legit SC contenders. The Florida Panthers picked up right where they left off against the Bruins as they went into Toronto and shocked the Maple Leafs 4-2 to win Game 1.
If anyone thought the Panthers weren’t for real after that Bruins series, think again.
The Florida Panthers continued to absolutely defy expectations as they utterly hammered the Toronto Maple Leafs from the first minute to the last minute, allowing them to post 4 goals past the Leafs and win Game 1 4-2 to take a 1-0 series lead. And, even though it’s really early on in the series, I think the Maple Leafs are on the ropes if they don’t win Game 2.
Sure, I also said the Leafs were in trouble of getting blown away by the Lightning after losing Game 1 7-2 but was made to look like the fool I am as they won the next 4/5 games, but the Panthers are a much more menacing foe than the Bolts.
Aside from the Stanley Cup winning experience, the Bolts were an old, battered, playoff weathered, and extremely injured team that was hanging on the hope of winning one last Stanley Cup when they faced off against an extremely determined, focused, and hungry Maple Leafs side.
So, even though I thought the Lightning would win based on their experience and the Leafs tendency to choke, it wasn’t a complete surprise Toronto finally broke its 19-year playoff drought and won the series 4-2.
Nevertheless, similarly to Toronto, the Panthers are also a hungry, focused, and determined hockey team dealing with decades-long playoff misery. Prior to last year’s victory over the Washington Capitals in the First Round, the Panthers hadn’t made it out of the Round 1 since the 1995/96 season when they went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals and lost 4-0 to Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, and Peter Forsberg’s Colorado Avalanche.
That was a 24-year First Round drought…5 years longer than Toronto’s own misery.
So, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that this Panthers team, which also was eliminated in humiliating fashion (4-0) by the Bolts in Round 2 last year after winning the President’s Trophy, wants a taste of revenge and the playoff glory the 1995/96 team nearly earned all those years ago. And this team showed such thirst last night as they were physically dominate against the Maple Leafs.
Along with racking up 47 hits (9 more than the Leafs’ 38), the Panthers were simply imposing their will on the Leafs defenders as they forced the likes of Morgan Rielly (0 G, 1 A, 1 PT, 0 +/-), Jake McCabe (0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS, -3 +/-), T.J. Brodie (0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS, -2 +/-), and Mark Giordano (0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS, 0 +/-) into uncharacteristic giveaways, while the Panthers defense constantly shutdown the passing lanes in the neutral zone to kill breakouts instantly.
Now, that wouldn’t normally be enough to stop the Maple Leafs high-powered offense as they just keep coming and shooting on net (Sergei Bobrovsky: .944 SV%, 2.00 GAA, saved 34/36 shots), but that’s where the Panthers offense showed that President’s Trophy-winning scoring prowess.
Aleksander Barkov (0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS, 4 SOG, 3 HT), Matthew Tkachuk (0 G, 3 A, 3 PTS, 3 SOG, 9 HT), Carter Verhaeghe (1 G, 0 A, 1 PT, 1 SOG, 6 HT), Sam Bennett (1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS, 4 SOG, 4 HT), Nick Cousins (1 G, 0 A, 1 PT, 1 SOG, 5 HT), and Bandon Montour (1 G, 0 A, 5 SOG, 3 HT), who’s easily the most impressive defenseman in the postseason, light up the scoresheet with 4 goals in the first two periods, and then shut up shop in front of Bobrovsky by dumping pucks in, trapping the neutral zone, and clearing the shooting lanes in front of goal.
Even though this team beat the Bruins (who I am a fan of), I can’t help but admire the way they play the game.
There’s not a single player given a free pass or an easy ride as everyone block shots, hits, finishes forechecks, clears the front of the goal, grinds along the boards, and then goes on to score 3-4+ goals in style. And, more importantly, no one ever gives up.
After Toronto came storming back to tie the game with goals from Michael Bunting (1 G, 0 A, 1 PT, 2 SOG, 2 HT) and Matthew Knies (1 G, 0 A, 1 PT, 2 SOG, 2 HT), it would have been easy to let the Maple Leafs rabid fanbase and the high-powered offense to build up more pressure and momentum on their goal.
Yet, that didn’t happen as the Panthers slowed down the pace of the game and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike back…which came in the form of T.J. Brodie allowing Verhaeghe to get in behind him and score the 3-2 goal. And, a minute later, Montour smashed home a one-time from the point to seal off both the 2nd period and the game itself.
I don’t know if the Panthers will be able to continue this gritty, hard-working style of play across an entire series with the Leafs after going to 7 with the Bruins, but I’m definitely rooting for them now. Them and the Kraken are the obvious Cinderella story teams this year.
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