Last night the Stanley Cup final series began and the first game, despite the relatively low number of goals, was very significant. Edmonton did not falter under Florida’s pressure, they were cheerful and to be honest, they deserved the victory more, but one person was against it and that was enough.
Before the match it was necessary to observe all the ceremonial preludes, so the start of the match was delayed even more than usual. In particular, the Stanley Cup was put on the ice at the Amerant Bank Arena and emotions arose not only among Panthers fans, who are waiting for the first victory in history. Evan Rodríguez said after the game that he felt “chills” when he saw the trophy: “It was very nice. I am not going to lie.”
During the first shift, the pressure and excitement were still in the air, especially evident in the play of Bobrovsky, who almost scored a goal in the first minute: Sergei tried to send the puck to the near side, but the omnipresent Connor McDavid blocked the Russian goalkeeper. “Florida” got carried away. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice highlighted the moment in the postgame press conference: “Even though he had a bad pass on his first shift, he was able to recover.”
Sergei Bobrovsky
Photo: Lynne Sladky/AP/TASS
The Panthers managed to open the scoring in the opening game, but Edmonton’s lead grew and grew. It was especially surprising to see how, time and time again, the defense allowed one-on-one attempts or point-blank shots without interference, but Bobrovsky stopped all threats and gave no opportunity to play in the shot. It was clear that that nervous first shift was forgotten.
Bobrovsky’s colleague also pointed this out after the match, not sparing his praise for the Russian goalkeeper: “Even though we conceded first, I think our team played well for the entire 60 minutes. We played incredible throughout the game. We really dominated. “Bob’s play made a big difference and was the main reason they were able to win.”
American journalist – about Bobrovsky:
“It was perfect”. A journalist from the NHL website talks about Bobrovsky’s performance in the first game of the KS final
Evan Rodriguez also emphasized how important Bobrovsky’s early stops were: “He made a couple of great stops early in the game. I’m sure that helped us get into the game. He was incredible tonight. “He did everything for us.”
Midway through the second half, the Oilers’ lead became completely indecent: the guests lost the opponent three times. However, not only could they not come back, but they also conceded another goal at the opening of the second segment. But the further the match progressed, the less chances the Oilers had: Florida established cooperation in defense, stopped pulling away, and Bobrovsky’s “shots” were replaced by threats to the goal under pressure, which made the situation easier for the Russian. He didn’t seem to be complaining much anyway.
The locals began to hit their rival more, which caused confrontations, which did not occur much in the first and third periods. Everyone saw this three episodes earlier, when Tampa, Boston and the Rangers did it. The Edmonton captain shared his opinion on the matter: “The opponent is exactly what he looks like on TV, he is fast and aggressive.”
The Panthers at the end of the match hit the empty net and won by shutout, losing in shots with a score of 18:32. This was emphasized after the game by Connor McDavid, who recalled the previous match: “Maybe the hockey gods returned the favor for the sixth game of the series against Dallas, in which we probably did not deserve to win (Edmonton won 2: 1, losing to “Dallas” in shots with a score of 10:35 – Note from the “Championship”). Tonight we probably deserved at least one goal, maybe two goals, but we couldn’t find a way to score them. I know that if this team plays like this the goals will come. We are happy with our game. There are many things I like, we didn’t give up, we weren’t lucky with the rebounds.”
But it wasn’t just McDavid who talked about God after the game. Sergei Bobrovsky, commenting on the victory, said: “As for stops, I am here thanks to God, not myself. Without him I am nothing. “I just live for this opportunity and enjoy every second of it.”
Bobrovsky’s achievement:
Bobrovsky was second in playoff wins among all Russian goaltenders
The Russian goalkeeper does not lose concentration either and clearly understands that only one step has been taken: “It is interesting to play against these guys, these elite guys. There was a great atmosphere in the stands. I am excited for this opportunity and enjoying every second of playing in the final. I think all the minority kids gave their all today. The boys cleaned up the rebounds in the area and played very productively. Every win is a big win, but it’s a long streak. Let’s reset and prepare well for the next battle.”
Matthew Tkachuk, after defeating the Rangers in the conference final, asked the humble Bobrovsky to come over for a commemorative photo with the Prince of Wales Trophy, which is awarded each year to the Eastern champion, signifying his great contribution to this achievement. Today, Matthew once again highlighted the importance of Sergei: “he represents everything you want in a teammate, especially in a goalkeeper.”
Matthew Tkachuk with teammates
Photo: Marta Lavandier/AP/TASS
Paul Maurice, like many experts, highlighted the good performance of the Oilers: “We are going to find out how much we can improve if we play our game. That doesn’t mean that if we play our game we will win 7-0. The Oilers played a very strong game. I think they moved well and went from defense to attack very quickly. We expected this. “There are aspects in which I think we can improve.”
But his colleague in the workshop, Chris Knobloch, when asked about Bobrovsky’s inspiring work, responded in a rather formal manner: “There are definitely things we can focus on. Every goalkeeper has strengths and weaknesses. Every system you play against has strengths and weaknesses. So there are things that we as coaches can consider. There is also an element of luck.”
But at the same time he mentioned that his team needs to improve its game: “We understand that Edmonton will have to play even better. “There are things that we will analyze and try to increase our chances.”
