Panthers Simply the Best

Before I start my ramble in earnest, I want to point out two outstanding articles on other sites. In “Crosby/Malkin vs. McDavid/Draisaitl: Examining Stanley Cup supporting casts,” Hooks Orpik on Pensburgh does just what the title of his article suggests.

On Pittsburgh Hockey Now, Dan Kingerski broaches the subject of what might’ve been had the Penguins lost to Detroit in 2009 in “Crosby vs. McDavid; Sid Made Changes to Win, Can Oilers Avoid Catastrophe?”

Both excellent reads. Both kind of dovetail with thoughts that have been rattling around in my noggin since the Panthers vanquished the Oilers on Tuesday night.

I opined in an earlier article that the Panthers are a machine, expertly and exquisitely crafted.

Want star power? Sasha Barkov and Sam Reinhart may not be in the same biosphere as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (who is?), but they’re incredibly accomplished two-way stars, as witnessed by their 1-2 standing in the voting for the Selke Trophy.

Functional aggression? Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk make life utterly miserable for opposing defensemen and goaltenders. Likewise, Kamikaze fourth-liners A.J. Greer, Tomáš Nosek and Jonah Gadjovich execute their seek-and-destroy missions with deadly precision.

Depth?

My goodness, their second-line consisted of the aforementioned Bennett/Tkachuk threshing machine, aided and abetted by the underrated and oft-overlooked Carter Verhaeghe.

The third line? An absolute killer with an ultra-motivated Brad Marchand combining forces with the L&L Boys, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. So reminiscent of the Pens’ HBK Line from 2016.

I mean, how in the name of all that’s holy are you supposed to match up against them?

I may be squarely in the minority, but I don’t think the Oilers’ supporting cast was as bad as some folks say. Trent Frederic, slowed by an injury, couldn’t keep pace. Mattias Janmark was a disaster in the faceoff circle (29.2 percent on 62 draws).

However, the Oil squeezed 10 goals, tied for fourth-most in the playoffs, out of 40-year-old wonder Corey Perry. Although dinged-up, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tallied 20 points. Evander Kane’s lack of discipline was crippling at pivotal moments, but he still managed six goals, one more than Zach Hyman.

Connor Brown netted five goals in 20 games—a 20-goal clip during a full season. Likewise, former Pen Kasperi Kapanen scored at a 20-goal, 40-point pace. Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson, a little under a 40-point rate.

I’ll take that type of production from my bottom-sixers any day.

They just weren’t as good as (or a match for) their Panthers’ counterparts.

Same on defense and in goal. While the Panthers’ superbly balanced, tight-knit blue-line corps resembled the Borg from Star Trek, the Oilers’ rearguards frayed a little around the edges, most notably in the six spot where journeymen John Klingberg and Troy Stecher faltered.

Likewise, the netminding tag-team of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard most assuredly did not add up to one Sergei Bobrovsky.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a survival of the fittest in its most raw and primal form. If you have any weaknesses as a team, by the time you slug through six brutal weeks of testing to reach the Final they’re going to be exposed.

Florida didn’t display any tangible flaws physically, mentally, tactically or otherwise. Edmonton, only a few, but enough to tip the scales.

The Panthers simply don’t get rattled. I mean, the Oilers tore games one and four from their clutches (claws), both times rallying from multiple-goal deficits. If ever there was an opportunity for doubt to creep into the Cats’ mindset, it occurred after their OT loss in Game 4 that knotted the series at 2-2. Especially with the series returning to Edmonton for Game 5.

To which Panthers’ coach Paul Maurice responded, “If you plan for seven games, that means you’re losing three of them. So you have to take that pain that we did and come back.”

Following their skipper’s steadying and sober lead, the defending Cup champions didn’t so much as flinch, outscoring the Oilers 10-3 the rest of the way.

Talk about character. Part of what makes them such a formidable foe and champion.

GM Bill Zito’s remarkable roster construction, including the incredibly well-conceived additions of Marchand and Seth Jones. The absolutely masterful ship-steering of Maurice.

I could go on and on. But I’ll sum up with one word.

Perfection.

Or as near as you can get.