SUNRISE, Fla. — Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 32 pictures for his first profession playoff shutout, Sam Reinhart scored a power-play objective halfway by way of the second interval and the Florida Panthers moved one win away from a most inconceivable journey to the Stanley Cup Final by blanking the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0 on Monday night time.
Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett had the assists on the Reinhart objective for Florida, which now leads the Eastern Conference closing 3-0. The Panthers haven’t performed for the Stanley Cup since 1996, however can clinch a visit to the title spherical with a win in Game 4 on Wednesday.
This marks the 205th time {that a} workforce has taken a 3-0 sequence lead in NHL playoff historical past. Of the primary 204, 200 went on to win the sequence. The Panthers are 2-0 when taking the primary three video games of a sequence; the Hurricanes are 0-5 when dropping the primary three.
It wasn’t an ideal night time for Florida, nonetheless: Captain Aleksander Barkov left with about 7 minutes left within the first interval with a lower-body damage and didn’t return, regardless that the workforce listed him as questionable.
Bobrovsky received the shutout in his 58th playoff begin. He is now 10-1 in his final 11 appearances and has been virtually excellent within the final eight video games.
Going again to Game 1 of Round 2 in opposition to Toronto, Bobrovsky has not allowed greater than two objectives in any contest, with 296 saves on 309 pictures.
Frederik Andersen stopped 16 pictures for Carolina. The Hurricanes pulled him with 3:22 left, determined for the tying objective, barely even managed to check Bobrovsky the remainder of the best way.
It was the primary East closing recreation within the Panthers’ present enviornment – the franchise’s solely different time going this deep into the playoffs was 1996, when it performed in Miami at a constructing that was demolished way back.
It additionally possible was the primary time that they performed with the Wanamaker Trophy in attendance. Newly topped PGA champion Brooks Koepka – a South Florida native and Panthers fan – placed on a jersey and introduced the large silver cup to the sport.
The crowd roared once they noticed him displaying the trophy he received Sunday. Of course, there’s one other silver trophy that Panthers followers would favor seeing somebody of their jersey hoisting earlier than too lengthy. And the eighth-seeded Panthers are solely 5 wins away now, tantalizingly near the journey to the ultimate – a visit that few might have seen coming after barely making the playoffs after which having to get previous a record-setting Boston workforce in Round 1 and Toronto in Round 2.
A pair of additional time wins in Carolina, with Tkachuk getting the winner each nights, and the win Monday now have Florida getting ready to June hockey.
AROUND THE RINK
Jeff Conine, who received two World Series titles with the then-Florida Marlins, beat the drum to get the gang going simply earlier than recreation time. … It was the Panthers’ 98th recreation of the season. This would be the second season wherein Florida has greater than 100 video games; essentially the most was 104 within the 1995-96 season that ended within the Stanley Cup Final. … Carolina was shut out for the seventh time this season, with two of these coming at Florida. The Hurricanes misplaced 3-0 in Sunrise on Nov. 9.
CLOSE HOCKEY
There has been 261 minutes, 38 seconds of hockey on this sequence – simply over 13 intervals, because of all of the overtimes – and neither workforce has led by multiple objective at any time.
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