Matthew Tkachuk again urged his teammates to get off the ice quickly at the PNC Arena in Raleigh. For the second game in a row in this Eastern final, Tkachuk scored the winning goal in overtime.
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If the identity of the hero remains the same, we were not entitled to another marathon of four extensions between the Panthers and the Hurricanes.
Tkachuk hit the target 1:51 into the first overtime. He completed great passes from Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett to thwart Antti Raanta. Jesperi Kotkaniemi watched this scene from the penalty box.
The Panthers thus signed a victory of 2 to 1 to take control of this series 2 to 0. After his goal, Tkachuk opted for a similar celebration by quickly taking refuge outside the ice rink.
Since the start of the playoffs, the Panthers have a perfect record of six wins and no overtime losses. Tkachuk, the former Flames, scored three of his team’s six overtime goals. When we talk about a key acquisition by Bill Zito, it really is. He is without a shadow of a doubt a candidate for the Conn-Smythe Trophy.
In NHL history, only four players have scored three overtime goals in a single year. Tkachuk added his name to those of Mel Hill (Bruins in 1939), Maurice Richard (Canadian in 1951) and Corey Perry (Ducks in 2017).
Again Bobrovsky
The Hurricanes will fly to Florida with a mandate to forget two heartbreaking losses at home. In this second game, Rod Brind’Amour’s team largely dictated the game. They led 38-28 in shots on goal and 70-50 in shots attempted.
Jordan Staal alone missed three scoring opportunities in the third period and the opening seconds of overtime. The captain of the “Canes” will probably have difficulty falling asleep.
But like the first round against the Bruins and the second round against the Maple Leafs, Sergei Bobrovsky once again had his say.
The Panthers goaltender had another good night with 37 saves. Bobrovsky pulled off a real steal in the second half against Teuvo Teravainen. After two games against the Hurricanes, number 72 has already blocked 100 pucks!
Barkov’s hands
The Hurricanes scored the first goal in that game thanks to the offensive involvement of defenseman Jalen Chatfield. He got his first goal of the playoffs by redirecting a pass from Sebastian Aho.
If the “Canes” multiplied the attacks in the first seven minutes of the match, with 12 shots against only one, the Panthers regained their rhythm little by little after this false start.
Aleksander Barkov sounded the alarm clock for his team in the second period by scoring in a second game in a row. The Panthers captain knocked Raanta down with a quick fake backhand. He got his hands out of the big nights on this game.
Paul Maurice’s recipe was therefore quite simple. Another good game from Bobrovsky, another goal from the captain and another heroic conclusion from Tkachuk.
Maurice and the Panthers, however, have enough experience to know that the Hurricanes won’t give up. Especially not with a trainer like Brind’Amour.
Andersen resting
In terms of strategy, Brind’Amour chose to rest Frederik Andersen after a seven-period game.
He did not lose his bet despite the setback. Raanta gave him a quality start, but Bobrovsky was still the better of the two men