Panthers' series win 'a long time coming'

WASHINGTON -- Aleksander Barkov had waited so long for this that he almost didn't know what to think about next.

So Barkov sat there smiling in the aftermath of the
Florida Panthers' 4-3 overtime win
against the Washington Capitals in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Friday absorbing the fact that for the first time in his career the center was on the winning end of a series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"For a little while it, felt like, what's happening right now?" the Florida captain said. "But during my career, nine years here, I haven't been to the] second round or past the first round, so it feels great. But at the same time, I know there's a lot of work to do.
"Right now, I'll enjoy this and get back to work tomorrow or whenever."
***[RELATED: [Complete Panthers vs. Capitals series coverage]*
The Panthers will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round after winning their first playoff series since 1996, when they lost in the Stanley Cup Final to the Colorado Avalanche. That was long before forward Jonathan Huberdeau arrived in 2012, Barkov in 2013 and defenseman Aaron Ekblad in 2014.
That core trio has experienced its share of disappointment, including losing in six games to the New York Islanders in the first round in 2016, losing again to the Islanders in four games in the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers, and losing in six games to their rival Lightning in the first round last season.
So when Carter Verhaeghe capped his incredible series by scoring the winning goal for the third straight game, this one 2:46 into overtime, there was a sense of relief for them and the organization.
"I feel it's off your shoulder a little bit," Huberdeau said." "Obviously, we lost last year and this year we wanted to win that first (series). Me, 'Barky', 'Eky', [MacKenzie Weegar], all these guys never won a round and I think that was important for us. Today it happened, so I think now we might as well go all the way."
That's the boost of confidence the Panthers hoped to get from this series victory.
The team was open from the start, talking about being nervous, about the added pressure of being a Cup favorite after winning the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL team with the best regular-season record, and about learning what it takes to win in the playoffs against an experienced Capitals team with much of its aging core remaining from its 2018 Stanley Cup championship.

Florida general manager Bill Zito had added some players with playoff experience, such as Claude Giroux, who was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers prior to the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline; Verhaeghe, who signed with them as an unrestricted free agent after winning the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2020; and Patric Hornqvist, a two-time Cup winner who was acquired from the Penguins in 2020.
But most of Florida's players had to experience winning this series to know the commitment involved.
"These things, you've got to go through them a few times to really get the feel of it," Panthers coach Andrew Brunette said. "You have to have heartbreaks. You have to have things that don't go your way and you can find how hard it is and understand it and be resilient and when you see the reward like they saw tonight, it was all worth it."
After falling behind 2-1 in the best-of-7 series with a 6-1 loss in Game 3, Barkov said the players held a meeting to talk things through and recommit to doing the little things that are needed in the playoffs.
"We had a little meeting, got together, got a little closer again, talked about some things that we need to do a little better on the ice," Barkov said. "And after that, we just started playing the right way. We held each other accountable, worked really hard for each other and for the guy next to you. That's how you win."
None of it was easy.
The Panthers were on the verge of falling into a 3-1 series hole, trailing by a goal late in Game 4 before Sam Reinhart tied it with 2:04 remaining in regulation and Verhaeghe scored 4:57 into overtime to give them a 3-2 victory. Florida then fell behind 3-0 in Game 5 before rallying with five unanswered goals -- Verhaeghe getting a point on each (two goals, three assists) -- for a 5-3 victory.
Game 6 was another roller coaster. The Capitals led 1-0 and 2-1, but the Panthers responded each time to tie it. Then, after Barkov's rebound goal gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead with 5:43 remaining in regulation, came one final test with T.J. Oshie batting in the puck for a tying 6-on-4 power-play goal with 1:03 left.

Undeterred, the Panthers regrouped during the intermission and made another push in overtime that ended with Giroux feeding Verhaeghe in front for a backhand past goalie Ilya Samsonov for the series-clinching goal.
"A long time coming," Huberdeau said. "A lot of years and finally rewarded. Guys played hard all series long and tonight up and down. Take the lead and they tied it up and (we) stuck with it. It's nice to come out and win the series and now we can think about the second round."
A second-round series is something Huberdeau, Ekblad and Barkov have never had the chance to contemplate before in the NHL. But Brunette wanted them to take at least the night to enjoy what they had achieved in the first round.
"This is a hard accomplishment and I think in life sometimes you don't celebrate the good times," Brunette said. "So, let's enjoy this and I'm sure in about six hours I'll be thinking about what's next."