In an unpredictable state, the local Panthers have made it a series. Can the Golden Knights survive the swamp?
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA - Florida can shift on you in a flash. One second the skies are bright and sunny; the next you find yourself staring at a torrent of rain from your hotel window. Half an hour later, everything is bright again. That rain will wash away the state's infamous humidity and you find yourself wondering if you have found yourself in the embrace of the perfect temperature - until that blanket of hot moisture lays itself on top of you once again.
In the meantime, the Florida Panthers have made it a series against the Vegas Golden Knights, snatching Game 3 with their best effort yet in the Cup final. True, the power play is still in the dumps and it took overtime to beat the Knights, but as Panthers coach Paul Maurice pointed out post-game, there was an intensity and excitement on the bench when his team was down 2-1 late. It felt like an opportunity for someone to step up and with star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky pulled for the extra attacker, Matthew Tkachuk made yet another clutch play by popping in a loose puck in front of the net.
In overtime, it was Florida's other clutch forward sealing the deal as Carter Verhaeghe slipped one past Vegas netminder Adin Hill to cue the roof-popping in Sunrise.
"He's one of those guys who has that in him," said captain Aleksander Barkov. "His shot is dangerous no matter where he shoots from and I would give the puck to him anytime."
Before Game 3, it was only natural to wonder if Florida had a path to victory in this series. Vegas was just as physical, generally faster and had the hotter goalie after two games. The Panthers kept taking penalties in Game 3, but at least they weren't kicked out en masse as they were in Game 2. And Bobrovsky saw the puck - so he stopped most of the Golden Knights' assaults.
"The coaches gave us a pretty clear plan and the guys executed unbelievably," he said. "We defended very well, we didn't give very much time and space to them and it was a big win for us."
Vegas didn't play bad per se, and in his post-game remarks, Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy mentioned only tweaks in terms of where his squad could improve for Game 4. And perhaps that's what is most vexing about playing the Panthers - they don't always look like the better team in a game, and yet they find a way. Vegas punished them for that approach in the first two contests, but felt the wrath of Florida Chaos once the series shifted to the swamp (I still haven't seen an alligator and feel ripped off, frankly).
Ask the Eastern Conference's best what it means to get caught in that Panthers storm. Time for some Miami-area sludgecore:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO1vOLB61Z4[/embed]
Back at the hotel, I prepare for uncertainty. The room is littered with fried chicken remnants and bags of various Flaming Hot products that we cannot get at home. Tomorrow we fly back to Las Vegas, but where will we go from there? If the Golden Knights win tonight, then they can capture their first-ever title on home ice on Tuesday. If the Cats even things up, we are guaranteed one last game at FLA Live arena this season.
Vegas' mission is to step on the neck tonight, much like the NBA's Denver Nuggets have done to the Miami Heat in that championship final down the road. The Panthers and Heat are both underdogs, but they've got everyone's attention. Now they need to once again channel a force of nature against their rivals.