Florida covered Carolina again, but the celebration was overshadowed by an injury to Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. Barkov got sidelined from the match in the first round.
The amazing NHL spring of the Florida Panthers continued when the Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 1–0. The Panthers already took the lead in the finals of the eastern division with a 3–0 victory and are only one victory away from the final matches.
Sam Reinhart scored the only goal of the match. The dominant goal came in the middle of the second period and they were about to start it Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett.
Florida Captain Alexander Barkov the evening was short. Barkov was sidelined by Jack Drury right after the tackle in the opening set. Barkov went to the changing room for a moment, but then continued to the locker room.
Barkov was on the ice for just under four minutes. According to preliminary information, Barkov suffered a lower body injury. In the aftermath of the end of the match, it was unclear whether Barkov will have to stay off the ice longer.
Florida head coach Paul Maurice joked when asked about Barkov’s situation.
– He (Barkov) has a Bar Mitzvah party. He didn’t want to disappoint the (neighbour’s) children, Maurice commented on Barkov’s short match.
Bar Mitzvah is a Jewish holiday that is celebrated when a Jewish boy reaches the age of 13 and becomes a religious adult.
Star guard Bobrovski drove the home crowd wild
Carolina led the shots on goal 32–17, but the Panthers’ goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was again in high spirits. Bobrovski withstood the fire and prevented a clean sheet. Bobrovski made 32 saves.
Florida’s home crowd erupted in Bobby screams as Bobrovski cleared all situations without setbacks. Your Carolina Test Sebastian Ahon in the lead, the skills of the Russian keeper, but failed to pass Bobrovski.
For the first time, the NHL finals place is on the line for the Florida Panthers, when the teams meet early on Thursday Finnish time.
– We are satisfied with the victory, but the next match will be a big struggle, Bobrovski directed his thoughts towards the next match.
Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour was thoughtful. The Hurricanes are in a really tight spot right now.
– We can’t do much more than we did tonight. We just have to find ways to score, Brind’Amour said.
NHL PLAYOFFS, EAST FINALS (4 wins)
Florida-Carolina 1–0
Florida in the lead with wins 3–0