Aleksander Barkov got to taste the first Stanley Cup final victory of his career.
Aleksander Barkov thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere created by the Florida crowd. AOP / USA TODAY SPORTS
Watch Barkov’s interview. NHL can be watched on Elisa Viihde Viaplay and V sport channels.
The Florida Panthers forced themselves to fight for the Stanley Cup victory when they managed to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights with an overtime goal 3-2.
The home team was only a few minutes away from the 0–3 bridge in match wins, but Matthew Tkachuk the equalizer at the end of the third period saved the panther herd for the rest. The deciding goal went off Carter Verhaeghen off the stage in the fifth minute of overtime.
An itch in the upper corner narrowed the series’ wins to 1–2.
Florida skipper Alexander Barkov after the thriller, looked at the atmosphere of the FLA Live arena.
– Every single second was incredible, Barkov gushed in an interview with Viaplay.
– The feeling in this hall when the team is playing is really sick.
If you don’t see the embed, you can watch it from here (Twitter).
The ability to step up in tight spots has become Florida’s trademark. During its playoff run, the team has won all seven matches that went into overtime.
Having won the first two finals with clear numbers, Vegas was ahead in the third meeting in all statistics except for the most important one, i.e. goals.
However, Barkov saw an improvement in his own performance.
– We played harder, fought more and played better defensively, the Finn listed.
One clear point of improvement for the Panthers is the power play. In the match of the night, all five attempts ended without results. by Paul Maurice the team coached has not yet scored a single overtime goal in the entire final series.
The fourth match of the final series will be played in the home cave of the panthers on the night between Saturday and Sunday.
– Nothing else needs to be changed here except to play a little better and more sensibly. Maybe not as much ice. Otherwise, same flow on, Barkov designed step marks to beat the series to levels.