Sasha Barkov adds name to Panthers lore after series-clincher vs. Lightning

For the first time ever, the Florida Panthers have beaten the Tampa Bay Lightning in a best-of-7 playoff series. The Cats made a statement on Monday night in Sunrise, finally coming out of the shadow of their Atlantic Division rivals and doing so in convincing fashion after a 6-1, Game 5 victory. The series-clinching goal was scored by captain Sasha Barkov, who was terrific in the series — and especially in the clincher — and he added his name to Panthers lore in the triumph.

“Barkov became the fifth player in Panthers history to score a shorthanded goal in the playoffs and the second to do so in a potential series-clinching game alongside Bill Lindsay (Game 6 of 1996 CSF),” wrote NHL Public Relations on Tuesday.

“He and [Carter] Verhaeghe also became the second and third players in franchise history with three points in a potential series clincher, following Claude Giroux (1-2—3 in Game 6 of 2022 R1).”

Barkov and Verhaeghe were two of the catalysts of the offense in Round 1; the former scored two goals and five points in the series, while the latter led the team with five goals and nine points in the same span.

The Panthers just looked like the better team for most of the series, proving that last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final was no fluke. This is a deep, deep team, and there’s certainly a chip on the shoulder after coming so close in 2023.

“At some point you knew you were going to have them again,” Barkov said of playing the Lightning again, per ESPN. “And you’ve got to be able to get over that hump, and we did it this year.”

“This was a big series for us,” echoed forward Matthew Tkachuk, who scored three goals of his own and added nine points in the first-round. “We always knew that for us ultimately to win it all, it was probably going to have to go through Tampa at some point, so just an amazing feeling closing it out at home.”

Panthers continue recent playoff excellence