Champions on the threshold of success
Florida beat Carolina 6-2 in Game 3 of the NHL Eastern Conference final to extend its lead in the series to 3-0. Home team goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 23 shots.
Nightmare for Orlov and Kochetkov
The Hurricanes came close to an unpleasant outcome after two games on home ice with a breakdown in their trademark hockey (2:5 and 0:5). On the road, Rod Brind'Amour replaced the starting goalie and released two Russians from the bench - goalie Petr Kochetkov and defenseman Alexander Nikishin, who again took his place in a pair with Dmitry Orlov.
In this playoff, Kochetkov replaced the injured Frederik Andersen in Game 4 at the end of April and played a decisive game in the first round against New Jersey, and two days ago he came out in place of the Dane for the third period against Florida. In Sunrise, the goalie started with several saves and a penalty for tripping, came under a wave of attacks in the final 20 minutes and stopped 22 of 28 shots on his goal.
Nikishin made his Carolina debut in mid-May in the decisive Game 5 of the second-round series against Washington. That game against Florida was a nightmare for the Canes' Russian defenseman pair — both finished with a minus-4 rating and, together with their teammates, were unable to keep up with the opposition under pressure. Orlov skated the puck into Kochetkov's net for the first goal, and after the fourth, he broke his stick on the goalpost out of frustration at another turnover in his zone.
Talk about falling stars
“You can’t [explain it], you can’t. You can’t put it on him, but some of those mistakes, you’re not going to win at this time of year when you make those,” Brind’Amour said. The coach said of the turnovers and mistakes by all of his players: “We were in the game, we were playing better, and then we just started giving the puck away — that’s not what we do. Nobody does that. Everyone’s very surprised. You can’t do that. You can’t do that at any time. In a preseason game, you’re going to pay for it, but to make those turnovers on the break against a team like that — forget it. We know that. It was very demoralizing. We know the difference is not that big.”
Carolina's top scorer in this playoff Andrei Svechnikov (8+1 in two rounds) has so far made one assist in the first game against Florida. Late in the game in Sunrise, the forward earned 14 penalty minutes for hitting with a stick, roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct after a scuffle with Sam Bennett. Many of Brind'Amour's leaders failed at the crucial moment. The coach emphasized that he expects more from his stars, and not from the four rookies - Nikishin and another defenseman Scott Morrow, forwards Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake.
Bobrovsky: Stone Wall
“You can’t have four rookies on your roster among your best players. It doesn’t seem to happen. I think there’s a couple guys that haven’t played the way they should at this time of year. Jordan Staal and [Jordan] Martinook can’t be our best players. It can’t be that way all the time, and they are every night. We need more from some guys,” Brind’Amour said.
Florida crushes Carolina in third period
The Panthers and Canes, in a game with a relatively equal number of dangerous moments, scored a goal each in two periods, and in the third, the hosts crushed their opponents and scored five times in a row. The second goal was scored by Jesper Boqvist, who returned to the lineup, the sixth by Brad Marchand, and Niko Mikkola and Aleksander Barkov scored twice each. The defenseman scored with the help of Orlov's cut and a great shot, the captain's line became a real nightmare for the opponent's defense and ultimately provoked an outburst of negative emotions from Dmitry.
Bobrovsky's Salvation and Confidence
Bobrovsky has demonstrated incredible reliability in the playoffs for the third year in a row. This spring, the 36-year-old goalie, with the help of his skaters, has played at a top level, with the exception of a less than convincing start to the second-round series with Toronto. Sergei has earned the familiar comparison to a brick wall time and time again. The entire team notes this, as well as its strength.
"We go into the game knowing exactly what we have to do. Obviously, we're playing a very good team, they're going to have their moments. We just have to stay focused. They put a lot of pressure on us in the second period, and Bob helped us a lot. We took the initiative in the third. Our confidence is high. Everyone is having fun right now," Barkov said.
Marchand has studied Bobrovsky as a competitor for years. After the deadline trade, the former Boston captain has come to value the goalie more and more.
“Once you see it up close, you realize there’s a reason for it. He plays so hard every night. He’s probably the most dedicated hockey player I’ve ever played with. The way he prepares himself every day and the way he recovers, everything he does has a purpose and a reason. Obviously, he’s an incredible, incredible goalie. He comes through in big moments. And the fact that he’s been able to perform at this level for so long is a result of the work he’s put in,” the forward said.
"Final in four games? We're not thinking about it"
On the possibility of ending the Panthers' series with the Hurricanes in four games, Marchand said, "We're not thinking about it. We're ready to go seven. The big thing about this group is we're really good at focusing on what we need to do, staying in the moment, and not looking too far ahead. You can't look too far ahead. It's a very dangerous game."
Bobrovsky: “I was in despair”
Bobrovsky stopped 71 of 75 shots in three games of the conference finals and shut out Carolina with 17 saves in Game 2. The goalie is typically modest in his assessment of his contribution to Florida's success and talks about concentrating on each specific moment. The Russian described the episode with the save in Stankoven's attack a little differently.
"I was desperate. I just tried to throw myself in that direction as hard as I could," Bobrovsky said.
Sergey noted about the entire final series of the conference: "Our audience helps us a lot. It drives us forward. We have a deep lineup, a great group of guys. Everyone works together, we continue to build our game. It's fun to be a part of this."
The fourth game of the Florida-Carolina series will take place in Sunrise on the night of Tuesday, May 27 (Moscow time).
EN 
RU