The first goal will be of great importance, writes Tommi Seppälä, Urheilu’s NHL reporter.
Tommi Seppälä NHL reporter
FORT LAUDERDALE.
Since 1994, eight series of games have been played in the NHL’s Stanley Cup finals, which have progressed to a decisive seventh game. As an interim relief, it should be stated right at the top that the Canadians’ winning balance in these matches is 0-4.
Another interesting statistical consideration is related to the importance of the opening goal in the cutoff game.
For thirty years, there has not been a reversal of the lead or even an equalizing goal in the tie-break of the final. Twisting the wire: The team that scored the opening goal has marched to victory on the previous eight occasions without losing the lead at any point.
Matches or series of matches, let alone from different years, are not siblings to each other, but it is difficult not to draw a line from the statistical increase to the ongoing series.
When the puck drops on the ice on Tuesday morning Finnish time, the first goal is of great importance. Especially from Florida’s point of view. The team has unbelievably lost a 3-0 lead in the match series, and there was no need to feel anxiety about the team’s performance in the last sets with special senses. If Edmonton hits the first hit on Tuesday and silences the crazy home crowd, the consequences will probably be historic.
Now you have to remember that the last – and only – time from a 3-0 lead was knocked down in 1942 by Detroit.
In the summer finals, the opening goal has played a huge role in the flow of the game. After scoring the opening goal, Florida has often played a sure and tight five-man game and eventually exhausted Edmonton’s top players. If, on the other hand, Edmonton has scored the first hit, as in the previous three games, Florida has even collapsed at times and played clearly lower-quality hockey anyway.
After being in a losing position, Florida has started to force the game too much and it has suited Edmonton perfectly. The Oilers have absolutely crushed Florida with their direct offense in the last three games.
Especially in the case of Florida, who entered the series as favorites and had a clear lead at the beginning, it can be considered special how much the result on the scoreboard guides the team’s performance. In this regard, the focus is on coaching.
The head coach Paul Maurice is the favorite child of the North American media due to his incredible supplicity and good sense of humor, but is he coaching at the level of his output?
As the series progresses, the humor has started to dry up and the question marks around the pilot to increase. Why can’t Florida play the same game both in the lead and in the loss? Why has it been repeating the same mistakes for three matches and otherwise being scared and timid?
Attempts have been made to dig out answers to these questions from Maurice, but with little success. The Canadian coach is like soap that no one seems to get a hold of. When it comes to responding, Maurice is like a restaurant that sends a customer who ordered a pizza a hamburger – you get something and you don’t go hungry, but you also don’t get what you want.
Even on Sunday, Maurice threw “I like the way we’ve played” to the media with bright eyes. Of course, the second most experienced coach in NHL history may be sending a completely different message to the team, but publicly he lives in a complete state of denial regarding the previous three games.
Maurice’s easy-going and funny nature has also emanated a strong scent of arrogance during side skating.
From time to time, Maurice figuratively pats the journalists who are after the problems on the head like little children, arrogantly and arrogantly, as if belittling the questions and the questioner. “There’s nothing here” and “I like the way we play”, even though three match balls are found in the trash can and the game is by no means at its best.
Maurice’s charisma charms, but the action of the ice level tells the truth, and it has not been able to bang the braces in recent days.
During the last week, Florida has also pushed itself into a psychological position, which emphasizes the importance of the opening goal.
It is clear that the team could not have lost a 3-0 lead without leaving a mark. After three losses, Florida is certainly in an extremely vulnerable state. The house of cards can come crashing down once and for all if Edmonton gets the driver there.
What is at hand is nothing more and nothing less than the worst collapse of the modern era – and this includes the other professional series in North America. At the final match level, nothing like this has actually been seen in any sport. In the NFL Superbowl seven years ago, Atlanta lost a 28-3 lead to New England, but at that time it was a single game and a period of a couple of hours. Florida has been building its own side slide for a week.
On the other hand, it’s pointless to paint the devils on the walls before the buzzer has gone off for the last time.
A week ago, Florida already put itself in a position where one win will bring it the championship. This arrangement has not changed at all. If the team has truly survived the events of the previous week without mental knocks and is able to play even close to their best level in a tie game, the setup is more than delicious.
It would be worth investing in Florida at the beginning of the match. In that respect, the group failed heavily in matches four, five and six. And that opening goal. It could restore faith in an instant.