SUNRISE, Fla. — Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 32 photographs for his first profession playoff shutout, Sam Reinhart scored a power-play purpose halfway by the second interval and the Florida Panthers moved one win away from a most unbelievable journey to the Stanley Cup Closing by blanking the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0 on Monday evening.
Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett had the assists on the Reinhart purpose for Florida, which now leads the Japanese Convention remaining 3-0. The Panthers have not performed for the Stanley Cup since 1996 however can clinch a visit to the title spherical with a win in Sport 4 on Wednesday.
This marks the 205th time {that a} staff 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 evening for Florida, nonetheless: Captain Aleksander Barkov left with about 7 minutes left within the first interval with a lower-body harm and didn’t return, though the staff listed him as questionable.
Bobrovsky received the shutout in his 58th playoff begin. He’s now 10-1 in his final 11 appearances and has been nearly good within the final eight video games.
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Going again to Sport 1 of Spherical 2 towards Toronto, Bobrovsky has not allowed greater than two objectives in any contest, with 296 saves on 309 photographs.
Frederik Andersen stopped 16 photographs for Carolina. The Hurricanes pulled him with 3:22 left, determined for the tying purpose, barely even managed to check Bobrovsky the remainder of the way in which.
It was the primary East remaining sport within the Panthers’ present area — 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 massive silver cup to the sport.
The group roared once they noticed him displaying the trophy he received Sunday. In fact, there may be 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 staff in Spherical 1 and Toronto in Spherical 2.
A pair of time beyond regulation wins in Carolina, with Tkachuk getting the winner each nights, and the win Monday now have Florida on the point of June hockey.