Comment | Aleksander Barkov became the best hockey player in Finnish history

Sunrise

It was finals series of all time. Not two words.

The Florida Panthers’ march to become the winner of the Stanley Cup goes by throwing the hardest final show in the history of Finnish hockey – and even more so in the most epic Stanley Cup final series of all time.

In the seventh final game, the Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 early Tuesday morning in Florida.

Similar blue-white leadership and collective role-taking at this point in the season has never been seen before in the history of the NHL.

Captain Alexander Barkov was his team’s number one player in the final series and a clear leader. You can taste this for a moment: a Finn shone as the best player of the NHL champion team.

The Conn Smythe Trophy for the playoffs’ most valuable player went as expected For Connor McDavid, even though the Oilers lost bitterly on chalk lines. McDavid’s choice was the right one, as the 27-year-old megastar shone in an animalistically hard shot.

Barkov got the last laugh and won the Stanley Cup and the Selke Trophy this season. The Tampere Center season was also the all-time Finnish season in the NHL. You can argue against it.

At the same time, the fact that Barkov became Finland’s best ice hockey player of all time as champion captain was also sealed. You can argue against it.

Behind Barkov’s broad shoulders, the ice-cool mini-Barkov assured in the background role, Anton Lundell.

The only 22-year-old center led the Panthers’ triple chain and played responsibly in the middle lane. Lundell’s performance was limited in the regular season, but in the playoffs the Espoo native was the team’s fourth most efficient player. A tough performance from the three center.

Lundell’s radar pair has been a reliable two-way forward for a long time Eetu Luostarinen, who is one of the team’s most important defensive forwards. Lundell, Luostarinen and Vladimir Tarasenko formed a working chain that the coaching staff trusted even in the finals.

In defense, less attention was paid Niko Mikkola, who played the hockey of his life this season. The frameful and physical all-round defender played top 4 minutes in defense without sparking. However, Mikkola’s ice time (18.45 minutes per match) tells everything essential about his value to his team.

In addition to Florida’s Finnish mafia, behind the bench Tuomo Ruutu already worked for the third season in a row as an assistant coach of the Panthers. Ruudu became the second Finnish coach in history to win the Stanley Cup.

Finns the contribution in the championship team was of a rare class, but this was Barkov’s team from start to finish.

The modest and humble man from Tampere led the team in an impressive way. Barkov has grown into a real leader in the last couple of years. Unnecessary kindness has disappeared and the captain’s charisma has grown.

From the head coach of the Panthers From Paul Maurice was asked countless times about Barkov during the playoffs. With reason.

“When I came here, the most I heard was that you have no idea how good Barkov is. Damn, I have a TV and a pretty good idea,” Maurice said before the final series.

Certainly a pretty good idea, yes, but even the long-time coach’s eyes opened properly under the Florida sun.

Barkov already skippered the Panthers to the finals a year ago. This season, he was the carrying force of the Panthers throughout the season, setting an exemplary example and an absolute leader. The pulse of the team and the face of the entire organization.

Barkov has been among the top players in the NHL for years, but this season he rose to the next level. According to Maurice, Barkov was a better player this season than ever before. Easy to sign.

“He is the perfect man to captain the Florida Panthers,” praised Maurice.

En route to the championship, Barkov not only made a strong impression (24 matches, 8+14) in the offensive direction. He pocketed the opposition’s top strikers time and time again. The subjugation was of a deafening kind in some places.

In the first round, the Tampa Bay Lighting superstar Nikita Kucherov was scoreless on an even field when Barkov played against him for a good 27 minutes.

In the second round, the super gun of the Boston Bruins David Pastrnak missed one goal (Barkov played 35.37 minutes against Pastrnak). In the conference finals, the number one star of the New York Rangers Artemi Panarin remained scoreless as well (Barkov played 23.09 minutes against this one).

In the final series, Barkov’s task was to eclipse the world’s best hockey player, McDavid.

Överein’s challenge on this planet, but in the beginning it looked very good for the Panthers and Barkov.

McDavid stayed in Barkov’s tongs for the first two games when the Panthers had the turnover advantage on their side. In the first three matches, McDavid achieved moderate results of 0+3 for him.

In the first games played in Florida, Barkov played five-on-five against McDavid for twenty minutes, but it wasn’t until Edmonton that McDavid got into a more comfortable position when the Panthers didn’t get the matchups they wanted.

In the four-way match in Edmonton, Barkov played only three minutes against McDavid, and the result was visible on the scoreboard: the Canadian virtuoso played 1+3 in a crushing 8–1 victory.

After that it was go for a while. In the wild vito match played in Sunrise, McDavid unleashed a 2+2 performance, and under Barkov’s leadership, the Panthers didn’t seem to have any means of stopping McDavid. McDavid was clearly the best individual in the third, fourth and fifth matches of the final series.

McDavid’s 42 points in this spring’s playoffs is an unconscious number. It is the third-highest balance in NHL history in the playoffs. Only Wayne Gretzky (47 points in 1985 and 43 in 1988) and Mario Lemieux (44 points in 1991) have made a wilder mark.

McDavid’s offensive contribution and scoring leadership in the playoffs was a competitive level considering the hardest jazz in NHL history – sorry Mr. Gretzky and Monsieur Lemieux. Still, the better team won the championship. The collective won in the end.

Barkov had to give the line at times in the confrontation against McDavid, but on the other hand, who hasn’t had to face that monster?

Similar dominance has never been seen in the history of the NHL. For a reason, McDavid is on his way to becoming the number one player of all time (a couple of Stanley Cups should be tucked away in the trophy cabinet on that side) and an offensive dynamo who has revolutionized the sport with his tempo skills and speed.

Although McDavid had a 3+8 performance in the final series, Barkov showed his clarity against the best player in the world as well.

When Barkov was on the field, McDavid was able to score 1.9 goals per 60 game minutes in a tie. When Barkov was replaced, McDavid’s corresponding reading was 6.4. There was also a big difference in waiting for the goal. When Barkov played against McDavid, the Canadian’s goal expectation was 2.6. Without Barkov’s blackout patrol, McDavid’s goal expectation was 3.8.

In the playoffs, when Barkov was on the ice, the Panthers won 56 percent of the dangerous goal posts with even fives. That’s a tough number, as Barkov played against the opponent’s best chains in most every round.

Barkov has reached the so-called Bergeron level.

Whenever a new season starts, Barkov is now the obvious favorite to win the Selke Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s best defensive forward.

He was in a similar position last spring when he ended his playing career with the Boston Bruins Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins’ longtime captain and leader won no fewer than six Selke Trophies in his wonderful career. Bergeron also holds the record.

Bergeron’s six clears seemed like an unbreakable record at one point, but not anymore. Barkov has brushed Selke twice now – most recently this season. If Barkov stays healthy, he will break Bergeron’s record. This should be recorded now.

Bergeron made snarky comments during the Finals series about Barkov’s play.

“He always seems to be one step ahead. Sure, he has a special talent and skill, but it’s his foresight that makes him so effective. He has the ability to kill or create chances because he reads the game beforehand so well,” Bergeron said of The Athletic in the interview.

Barkov’s extremely conscientious comprehensiveness combined with a high level of skill is exceptional. The most urgent already had time to line up in the middle of the final series, that now the best player on the planet will come from Tampere.

These hot takes didn’t age very well. It would be crazy to say that McDavid, 27, has been dethroned as the world’s best hockey player.

McDavid stays on this pedestal even more firmly thanks to his playoff performances, but there is no doubt about the world’s most complete hockey player. It’s Mr. Barkov.