The final series of the Stanley Cup between "Florida" and "Vegas" is not the best way for the team of Sergei Bobrovsky. The Panthers lost in the second meeting in a row with a crushing score of 2: 7 and missed 12 goals in two confrontations.
Of course, Florida fans did not expect such a start from their team at all. However, a key role in the success of Paul Maurice's wards was previously played by the Russian goalkeeper, who began to work wonders in the playoffs, making incredible saves.
Alas, in the decisive series, the goalkeeper still cannot prove himself and give confidence to his partners with bright actions. In the first match, the opponent made 33 shots at his goal and scored four goals. This time, for the same result, the Vegas hockey players needed only 13 attempts, after which the head coach of the Panthers decided to replace Bobrovsky with Alex Lyon. It happened in the middle of the second period - in the 28th minute.
Such depressing statistics for Sergey, including the merit of the Golden Knights. Hockey players competently close the Russian, preventing him from reacting in time to throws. So, striker Jonathan Marchessault opened the scoring on the power play, taking advantage of the fact that Mark Stone was in front of Bobrovsky. At the same time, Maurice drew attention to the not the best actions of the defenders of "Florida" at their gates.
"We can play a little better in front of our goalkeeper. He was incredible. I removed him from the ice so that he could rest," the coach said after the meeting. At the same time, the specialist stressed that the team has many other problems, and Bobrovsky's actions on the ice bother him the least.
If Sergey can hardly write down his last matches, then his compatriot Ivan Barbashev, on the contrary, continues to improve statistics. The Russian was recognized as the second star of the meeting with Florida. Only Marchessault showed himself better, scoring a double and an assist.
In the confrontation with the Panthers, Barbashev chalked up another assist: the second in the final and the 11th in the playoffs. He extended his scoring streak to four matches (1+3). In total, the Russian has already earned 17 points and has long updated his personal record for this indicator in one Stanley Cup draw. In 2019, the hockey player scored six points in 25 games for the St. Louis Blues.
This time, Barbashev took part in the second goal of Vegas. He did everything possible to ensure that Alec Martinez scored for the first time in the playoffs. Marchessault fought for the puck at the board and gave it to the Russian, and he saw the American rolling into the face-off zone, who was not guarded by any of the rivals. The defender clicked goal, leaving no chance for Bobrovsky.
Ivan was also noted in this match with power actions. The Russian sent one of the toughest defenders of the league, Radko Gudas, to the locker room, bringing the hockey player to the ice with a powerful blow with his right shoulder. After the collision, the Czech never returned to the game, having spent only two minutes and 11 seconds on the ice. As Martinez joked later, after the episode he drove up to the Russian and asked if he had eaten nails for breakfast: the reception turned out to be so spectacular.
Barbashev also took part in a small brawl after one of the leaders of Florida, Matthew Tkachuk, knocked down Jack Eichel at the end of the second period. Moreover, the hockey player "Vegas" even flew off the helmet. As a result, the Russian and the American left the ice for 12 minutes, which can also be called a kind of record for a domestic athlete. For the entire playoffs, he was sent off only once in the quarterfinal match with Winnipeg.
However, the meeting in Vegas this time was replete with unsportsmanlike behavior: after all, the price of each victory is very high. For the game for two, the teams earned 148 penalty minutes: 64 for the Golden Knights and 84 for the Panthers. This is the second result in the history of the Stanley Cup Finals. The record for this indicator was set in 1986 in the confrontation between Montreal and Calgary - 176 minutes. At the time of the final siren, there were only six hockey players left on the Florida bench.
No less fierce struggle awaits the teams in the next match. The Panthers are not going to give up. They have already returned this season with 1-3 in the series with Boston, as forward Anton Lundell reminded after the game.
"We still believe in ourselves. We're down 0-2, but that's not the end. We want to rest, recover and prepare to go on home ice. We will get a lot of energy from our fans at home," said the Finnish striker.