Florida is on the way to the playoffs in the NHL. The Panthers defeated Toronto 4–2 on the road to take a 1–0 lead in the playoff series. Aleksander Barkov played up to two of Florida’s goals.
The victory was Florida’s fourth in a row after ending the first round of the playoffs with three straight victories over top seed Boston.
Florida thus won its first game in the second playoff round since 1995/96 when it went all the way to the final. Last year they fell 0-4 against Tampa Bay in the second round, but now they started strongly. The Panthers dominated the match and won fairly.
– All credit to Florida. They played a great game today. But we have a long series ahead of us. “We made some mistakes today — mistakes we didn’t make in our last series,” Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the Maple Leafs’ first second-round playoff game in 19 years.
Barkov is getting better
Florida captain Aleksander Barkov had two assists in the game. Matthew Tkachuk, who excelled in the victory over Boston, was on the chopping block again and was noted for 0+3.
– Sasha (Barkov) felt really bad at the beginning of the playoff series against Boston. He is feeling better and better and it shows on the ice. Matthew Tkachuk deserves all the credit, but let’s not forget Barkov. Hans plays with two offensive wings and he is the one who covers for them on the defensive end. He did a brilliant job today, Florida head coach Paul Maurice told Bally Sports.
Barkov’s points balance in the playoffs is 1+7 in eight games. He also shone in the drawing circles as he won 71 percent of his drawings. Matthew Tkachuk has collected 5+9 and passed Roope Hintz at the top of the playoff scoring.
Four wins are required for advancement. Game two in the series will be played on Friday night Finnish time.
The article is updated.
NHL Playoffs, Second Round:
Toronto – Florida 2-4
Aleksander Barkov FLA 0+2, +2, 21.57
Eetu Luostarinen FLA 0+0, +/- 0, 17.02
Anton Lundell FLA 0+0, +/- 0, 17.47
Dallas – Seattle is ongoing
