The Matthew Tkachuk trade keeps getting better and better with each night. His overtime goal in Wednesday’s 4-3 win against Boston in Game 5 didn’t just keep the Florida Panthers season going. It established him even more these playoffs as the face of this franchise moving forward. He’s not only a scorer but an edgy physical presence that has caught Boston’s full attention this series. On a team that doesn’t play as cute as last season but still doesn’t have enough grit, Tkachuk brings the sandpaper personality you hope rubs off on others. He has three goals and three assists this series to lead the team. He also leads in being an instigator against Boston. You know how the Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill was a star who played beyond hopes? Tkachuk is the same idea for the Panthers as they go for the big surprise against Boston.
“We were supposed to get swept in this series, right?” he said after his game-winner sent this series back to Sunrise for Game 6 on Friday. “I don’t think anybody really gave us a chance after losing two games in a row at home. …
2. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had a big game in an odd postseason for him. He had 44 saves on Wednesday, none bigger than when a strange sequence at the end of regulation gave Boston’s star a chance for a breakaway buzzer beater. Bobrovsky made the stop to keep the season going. He’s started the past two games and you can expect him Friday in Sunrise for Game 6. Let’s not pretend this series was some referendum on the Panthers goalie situation. Alex Lyon was phenomenal down the stretch for this franchise. But Bobrovsky is owed $12 million next year and Spencer Knight is owed $4.5 million. So the bottom line here is about the bottom line. The Panthers can’t pay Lyon. Thank him for his good service — and for the good personality he was — and wish him the best.
3. Again: Is this all you get from Aleksander Barkov in a big series? You might as well throw defenseman Aaron Ekblad in that question, too. Barkov, the Panthers all-time points leader, was noticeably quiet in an often loud five games. He had three assists. That’s something at least. But impact? He didn’t have a shot in the first eight periods of the series — until the third period of Game 3. Yes, he has a complete game and is instrumental defensive forward. But to be considered a major star, as Barkov’s talent has shown, you’ve got to do something in the playoffs. It’s not too late.
4. Where do the Panthers need to improve in Game 6? Let’s start with the special teams. That’s no surprise considering Boston’s historically strong team is strong on both sides of the penalty work. Boston is 6 of 19 on power plays this series after going 2 of five in Game 5. The Panthers are 2 of 13 after Sam Reinhart’s shot from the slot gave Florida a 3-2 lead in Wednesday’s third period. These numbers explain why the Panthers kept talking about having to keep the series five-on-five. Of course, they then took five penalties on Wednesday, including an inexcusable penalty for six men on the ice in a 3-3 game late in the third period.
5. Quote of the night: “I knew it wasn’t going in,’’ Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of his thoughts during Marchand’s last-seconds breakaway in regulation. “And you can’t know it’s not going in. But I don’t feel we’ve had a whole lot of advantage in this series in the karma of the game. It’s nice away to say I disagee with the number of calls . I feel like we’ve sored up enough karma that that puck didn’t go in. And then profanity, long stretches of nasty stuff.”
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