Bobrovsky and Tarasenko vs. Panarin and Shesterkin: Florida and Dallas advance to semifinals Florida eliminates Boston and Dallas ends series with Colorado 05.18.2024, 10:21

Boston Bruins – Florida Panthers – 1:2 (series score – 2-4)

Florida was the clear favorite in the series with Boston at the start, and at first everything went in the Panthers’ favor. But when they lost at home with a score of 3-1, the situation became noticeably more complicated, because the rivals played their sixth match in New England. Bruins hockey players had every chance to tie the score in front of their home plate and take the series to the decisive seventh game, where of course anything is possible.

Assistance for the “Bears” was the return of the team captain to this match. Brad Marchand missed two games after a controversial power move by Sam Bennett, but spent more than 20 minutes on the ice in game six and had a shot on goal.

“Boston” managed to get its chance in even and somewhat chaotic hockey in the first period. After winning the fight along the boards in the central zone, Jake DeBrusk made an excellent pass to Pavel Zacha alone from under someone else’s blue line, and the Czech forward effectively dealt with Sergei Bobrovsky, scoring his first goal of the play-offs. He played in the 25th match of his career

However, Tim Montgomery’s team could not maintain their advantage. In the second period, the visibly tense home team tackled each other in a not-so-difficult situation on the far side of their own half; Defender Anton Lundell seized the opportunity to shoot into open space and passed it past Jeremy Swayman.

Everything was decided at the very end of the third period, when the Panthers went on a huge, fast counterattack. The same Lundell fired a shot, which Sveyman coped with, but the final touch was played by another Swedish Florida defender, Gustav Forsling, who found space in the near corner not protected by the goalkeeper and cunningly hid his attempt behind the “curtain”. ” In the form of a Boston player.

Thus, Forsling became the first defenseman in the history of the Panthers club to win the entire series with his puck. The last such case in the entire NHL happened in 2022 when Edmonton’s Cody Ceci hit a shutout against Los Angeles in game seven.

Reflecting 22 of 23 shots into his own goal, Sergei Bobrovsky got his seventh victory in his career in the play-off matches that ended the series. Among active goalkeepers, only three have more wins of this type: Marc-Andre Fleury won 16 series, Andrei Vesilevski – 13, Jonathan Quick – 10.

In the Eastern Conference finals, Florida’s Bobrovsky, Vladimir Tarasenko and Dmitry Kulikov will face New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin and Igor Shesterkin. The rivals have played each other in the playoffs only once: in 1997, when the Rangers beat the Panthers in five games.

Colorado Avalanche – Dallas Stars – 1:2 2 overtime (series score – 2-4)

Colorado, largely depleted by the loss of Valery Nichushkin, who was included in the NHL player assistance program for the third time, tries to compete in the inner reaches of Denver, clinging to the series with the powerful Dallas with all its might. Transfer to game seven.

The Avalanche took advantage of a chance to play on the power play in the second period, ejecting Matt Duchene. Cale Makar and Jonathan Drouin brought out Mikko Rantanen to shoot from a comfortable position and the Finn did not miss.

Dallas responded early in the third period with its main trump card: depth. The third ring, which was probably the first five years ago, once again played a decisive role. Moreover, all three experienced forwards took part in a geometrically designed fast attack: Tyler Seguin passed the ball from the central area to Evgeniy Dadonov, who brought Jamie Benn into Alexander Georgiev’s goal, and the captain easily passed around the Russian goalkeeper.

The game went into overtime, and the teams had to wrap things up not in the first half, but in the second overtime period, late at night Denver time. The referees controversially disallowed Dallas’ only goal, but the Stars did not stop and Duchene made up for the sending-off by scoring the winning goal!

In the Western Conference finals, Dallas will play the winner of Vancouver’s match against Edmonton, where the Canucks took a 3-2 lead. The sixth meeting here will take place in Edmonton on the night of May 19, Moscow time.