Dave Hyde: Panthers’ Barkov drops the hammer on Tampa Bay as a fist-pumping captain leads the way to second round
Aleksander Barkov came back this season lighter, faster and built for playoff hockey. You saw what that means this opening series against Tampa Bay.
SUNRISE — Everyone understands it’s exceedingly difficult to make Aleksander Barkov’s emotions surface. Not just a wry smile, as happens at times, like when passing out his beloved Finnish chocolate to everyone from corporate workers to executives inside the Florida Panthers offices.
“The best chocolate in the world,’’ the Florida Panthers captain tells them.
But the pumping fist in an electric moment? Had anyone seen it from the team captain? But when Barkov slipped in his second goal of Monday night to stretch the Panthers’ lead to 3-1 midway through the third period of Game 5, a perfect storm of emotion sent him across the ice, dropping down to a knee and pumping that emotive fist.
“It doesn’t happen too often,’’ he said. “But it definitely felt great. It just felt great. That’s all I can say about that moment.”
Goodbye, Tampa Bay.
That’s what that moment said.
Hello, Boston?
That’s what it might mean, even if no one was looking that far ahead after the Panthers’ 6-1 win against Tampa Bay to close their best-of-seven series in five games. It was a moment to look back. Tampa Bay was the team that blocked the Panthers two straight playoff series in 2021 and 2022.
“I’m really happy for the players who went through the pain of not having success,’’ Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.
He mentioned Carter Verhaeghe, who had five goals this series, and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who completed his stellar series with 31 saves in Game 5. Then he mentioned Barkov, the freight train in the middle that Tampa Bay couldn’t move or get around.
For so much of this series, he was setting up teammates, running special teams, doing so much of the work that sets the tone and style of games. He was the highlight reel this night. His short-handed goal turned to make it 2-0 turned into a big moment against Tampa Bay. His fist-pumping goal began to usher in the celebration of advancing to the next round.
“I think he prepared for this kind of right from the summer last year,’’ Maurice said. “He came back to training camp faster, stronger. He was hitting more than he ever has. He’s kind of built himself now for the playoff game.”
It was more than rounding out his game for the playoffs.
“Now he’s able to lead other players,’’ Maurice said. “It’s difficult to be an example to people who can’t do what you can do. The hard things he does in a game we can all do. We can all compete shift on shift. He’s become refined leader for this team because he’s become more like everybody else. In saying that, he’s not like anybody else.”
He came as a kid from Finland who didn’t even now how to drive a car. Now look at him. He’s driving this franchise to places it’s never been — places he only hoped to get to some day. His first seven years were part of the quarter-century of Panthers futility of a franchise that never won a playoff series.
Now they’ve won series in three straight postseasons. Now he’s also put to rest some personal demons about not beating Tampa Bay.
“Both times where we have home-ice advantage, just like this one,’’ Barkov said of those series. “You want to beat them, want to get over that hump. Big respect to them. They’ve been unbelievable in winning (championships).”
This year is different, because these teams are different. Tampa Bay had the aging core but not the good depth of their great teams. The Panthers are talented, deep and carry enough scars that this might just be their time.
Does Boston await? Probably. That was a fierce opening series last season, one that started the Panthers on their run to the Stanley Cup Final. Boston remembers. So do the Panthers.
“It was everything you expect in a playoff series,’’ defenseman Aaron Ekblad said.
That’s coming. Tampa Bay is gone. And there sat Barkov, a star of the series, silently listening in his ever-polite manner to Verhaeghe talk about the captain’s game.
“He leads the way and we all follow,’’ Verhaeghe said. “He’s been unbelievable all year. No different in the playoffs. He does everything right, every game. I think a lot of guys on our team try to emulate him.”
Barkov turned to his teammate and softly said, “Thank you.”