Should Florida do the impossible? Eetu Luostarinen broke the deadlock and took the team to another victory: “One of my most important goals in my career”

It will be a seventh and decisive game between the Florida Panthers and the Boston Bruins. Florida won a high-scoring clash at home with 7–5 and the Finns played decisive roles. Colorado also managed a seventh game.

The Florida Panthers were already counted out when this playoff series began, and with Boston then taking a 3-1 lead in games, it began to feel like a matter of time before the Panthers’ summer vacation took off.

But when it matters the most, the team has pulled through and found a road-winning game. Last night came the second straight victory and now it is 3-3 in matches.

– We have played playoff matches since February-March and fought for our lives. In that way, this was nothing new for us. We have a lot of energy and four good chains, says Aleksander Barkov at the press conference after the victory.

Barkov has been invisible so far in the playoffs but last night he took one of the main roles in Florida. In the middle of the match, he gave Florida the lead when he scored 3–2.

Monastery avgørd för Florida

The teams took turns taking the lead until the end of the third period when Eetu Luostarinen broke the deadlock. Luostarinen contained the shot and finally found a gap behind Linus Ullmark.

The goal meant 6–5 for Florida and the team then secured the victory when Sam Reinhart scored 7–5 in an empty cage.

– This was one of my most important goals in my career and it felt very good. This a big win for us and we wanted more in this match, says Luostarinen to Bally Sports.

They say cats have nine lives and for Florida it seems to be true. The question now is, can the team do the impossible and knock out the regular season’s best team? The seventh and decisive game will be played in Boston during the night of Monday.

– We finished the regular season well and were ready for the playoffs. Now we are eager for the seventh game in Boston, says Barkov.

Boston has lost two match balls and now it is up to the team to shake off the setbacks of the past few days.

– We fought all season to get home field advantage and now everything will be decided in a seventh game. We have the support of the home crowd and are looking forward to it, says Jake DeBrusk.

Carolina and Dallas continue in the playoffs

Two teams that used their game balls last night were the Carolina Hurricanes and the Dallas Stars. Carolina knocked off the New York Islanders in a 2–1 overtime victory, while Dallas beat Minnesota 4–1.

Sebastian Aho tied the game at 1-1 for Carolina in the middle of the third period and in extra time Paul Stastny was the game winner but a full hit from a tight angle.

– We were pushed back in the first and second period, but Aho’s goal gave us momentum. Then we just poured on. In overtime, I tried to be positive and just think that we’re going to score goals instead of not letting a puck in.

– It was a tough series and the first round can sometimes be the hardest. We had home field advantage but wanted to decide now, says Stastny.

Roope Hintz led the way for Dallas in Game 6 against Minnesota. He gave the team the lead just over six minutes into the game. Dallas then went up 3–0 in the second period and it ended up being a fairly easy 4–1 victory.

The reigning champions Colorado Avalanche have encountered tough opposition in the series against the Seattle Kraken. In the sixth game, Colorado needed to win or the playoffs would be over and the team fixed the steak.

Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen played decisive roles as Colorado won 4–1 away from home. Rantanen equalized at 1–1 at the end of the first period, while Lehkonen made it 3–1 at the end of the second act and settled the final score in an empty cage.

Image source: Viaplay