Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has exited Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night. Barkov took a hit to the face from Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl during the game. The Florida captain was slow to get up after the play. He was eventually helped to the bench and went straight to the locker room.
Barkov has played an integral role for the Panthers over the last several years. The Florida captain has helped lead the team to two consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances. Entering Game 2, Barkov tied Matthew Tkachuk for the team lead in postseason points with 19. Florida is seeking its first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Draisaitl is also an important member of his team. In fact, he has a legitimate claim to being one of the top five players in the world. The Oilers star is having a historic postseason run so far. He has 10 goals and 28 points through the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Edmonton is seeking its first Stanley Cup since 1990.
Panthers take Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final
Aleksander Barkov and the Panthers entered Game 2 with the series lead. Sergei Bobrovsky turned in an incredible performance on Saturday, shutting out an elite Oilers offense. In Game 2, Florida found its shooting touch and was able to prevent Edmonton from having the same chances they did in the previous contest.
That said, the Oilers started the scoring on Monday night. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm scored on his team's first shot of the game. Edmonton was able to keep the lead through the end of the first period. However, the second period saw the Panthers climb back into the game.
Florida defenseman Niko Mikkola scored in the middle frame. It marked just his second career playoff goal, but the Panthers certainly won't complain. The game remained deadlocked 1-1 through to the second intermission. In the third period, though, Florida broke through for good.
Forward Evan Rodrigues scored his second goal of the Stanley Cup Final early in the third. Less than 10 minutes later, the veteran forward scored again. This latest marker came on the power play, marking his sixth goal of the playoffs. Late in the game, veteran defenseman Aaron Ekblad sealed the game with an empty net goal.
Oilers searching for momentum
Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers are in a rather unenviable position. Edmonton has played extremely well on home ice through the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, they now need to win each of their next two games to have the best shot at winning the Stanley Cup. It's a hard situation for any team to be in, especially during the Stanley Cup Final.
What Edmonton needs most, though, is answers. Prior to this series with the Panthers, it seemed as if Edmonton could score at will. They dominated the Los Angeles Kings before grinding out series victories against the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars. And they did so thanks to one of the most prolific offenses in modern playoff history.
However, the Stanley Cup Final has proven to be a different story. Ekholm's goal in Game 2 stands as their only goal of the series. Additionally, Connor McDavid is the only one of their 20+ point scorers with a point against the Panthers. Solving Bobrovsky in Games 3 and 4 must be high on the priority list for Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
Whether Draisaitl receives any discipline from the NHL over his hit on Aleksander Barkov remains to be seen. In any event, Edmonton takes to the ice once again on Thursday night in Edmonton. It'll certainly be interesting to see if the Oilers can pick up a win and avoid going down 3-0 to the Panthers.
Follow Us
Subscribe