FORT LAUDERDALE – It’s not often you can hear a pin drop in an NHL locker room.
But when Aleksander Barkov speaks, the rest of the Florida Panthers go silent.
“The whole room stops when he says something,” teammate Matthew Tkachuk said after Thursday's practice.
As the longest-serving captain in franchise history, Barkov has often been known as a player that speaks softly and carries a big hockey stick. But as the Panthers have grown from playoff hopeful to championship contender, so has his comfort in being a leader.
Carrying the banner in a thrilling 6-1 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Second Round, Barkov did a little bit of everything to help the Panthers even the series 1-1, registering two goals, two assists, two takeaways and a team-high nine hits.
That being said, it was one play that didn’t show up on the scoresheet that really stood out.
With the Panthers holding onto a slim 2-1 lead in the final minute of the second period, Barkov, rather than dumping the puck into the zone and making a beeline for the bench, caught the Bruins by surprise when he flew up the left side of the ice and set up a quality scoring chance for linemate Sam Reinhart.
Under attack, Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman was then forced to freeze the puck.
Not letting that grade-A effort go to waste, the Panthers picked up right where Barkov left off on the ensuing possession. Taking a pass from Anton Lundell after Brandon Montour made a nice play to hold the zone, Gustav Forsling blew the roof off the building when he buried a heavy one-timer from distance to make it 3-1 with less than two seconds left on the clock.
From that point on, the Panthers ran away with the rest of the game.
“In a very good way, he’s the perfect man to be captain of the Florida Panthers,” head coach Paul Maurice said of Barkov following the convincing victory. “The thing I heard most when I came here was, ‘You have no idea how good Barkov is.’ I’ve got a TV. I’ve got a pretty good idea. It’s not my first game. But they were right. He’s better this year than he’s ever been.”
The numbers back up that claim.
Building off a regular season in which he notched 80 points (23 goals, 57 assists) in 73 games, Barkov, who was also named a finalist for the Selke Trophy -- an award he’s poised to win a second time -- thanks to his elite defense, hasn’t skipped a beat in the playoffs.
Tied with Tkachuk for the team-scoring lead with 10 points (four goals, six assists), the 28-year-old superstar is also winning 58.8% of his faceoffs and has registered 21 hits and a team-leading 12 takeaways while averaging 21:02 of ice time through seven playoff games.
At 5-on-5, the Panthers own a 61.06% share of expected goals when Barkov has been on the ice, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
“He’s the perfect captain, the perfect leader for us,” Tkachuk said with a powerful conviction in his voice. “He does so many great things. He’s been taking over games the last little bit and playing amazing. What he does off the ice is one thing, but what he does on the ice has been unbelievable, especially in these playoffs. He's a guy that when he leads, we follow.”
Even for newcomers, it doesn’t take long to figure out what Barkov is all about.
Prior to joining the Panthers at the trade deadline in March, former Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo, a veteran of over 1,000 regular-season games in the NHL, admits he didn’t know much about Barkov aside from his dominant on-ice play.
“I just remember his wrists were so strong,” the veteran forward recalled with admiration.
But after two months as teammates, he now understands what makes Barkov tick.
“Every single thing he does on a day-to-day basis is why it’s so difficult to play against him and why he’s so prepared mentally,” Okposo said. “That level of preparation is something you don’t see very often and something I haven’t seen very often in my career. Everybody here has no choice but to follow that example. There’s no excuse to be tired for a day or to not do what is required that day because he’s setting the example to go above and beyond.”
If there’s one thing Barkov rarely gets, it’s tired.
Even on the heels of an All-Star season and a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, the fervent Finn entered this past summer with the idea that he still had even more to prove, a sentiment that led to him shedding some built-up bulk in order to gain more speed.
Already known for his all-world work ethic, he didn't waste a minute of the shorter-than-usual offseason.
Looking at that level of commitment, Tkachuk believes Barkov is on a quest to become the “perfect professional athlete.”
If practice does indeed make perfect, that’s not out of the realm of possibility.
“I learned a lot last year,” said Barkov, who’s been in the spotlight even since he entered the NHL at 18 years old. “Everyone learned in our room learned a lot. It was a lot of experience going all the way to the Final and playing those games with all the ups and downs. You learn a lot and you see what it takes to get there again. You need to be really good every game.”
With the action starting to ramp up as the Panthers push for a return trip to the Stanley Cup Final, Barkov has recorded two multi-goal performances over his last three contests, including netting the game-winning goal in Game 2 against the Bruins.
Once considered underrated, he’s now impossible to ignore.
“He plays very loud,” Okposo said of the sensational two-way center. “Whenever he’s on the ice you notice him, and your opponent notices him. He’s a really tough guy to play against. He sets just such a good example of what to do out there, as well as how to act, how to treat people. He’s just a phenomenal person. He’s a fantastic captain for our group.”
Whether you’re a teammate or a fan, No. 16 is a player you can put your trust in.
“If your kid’s buying a sweater and throws Barkov on the back, you’re good,” Maurice said.
