Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk is never afraid to speak his mind.
Whether it be in-game chirps, post-game interviews, or after winning his second consecutive Stanley Cup, the heartbeat of the Panthers calls it like he sees it.
Here is what Tkachuk had to say Tuesday night, via Luke Fox of Sportsnet:
“Heart meets talent. Our team was a team. When things were getting hard for them, they looked to one guy. But our team, we do it collectively… And that’s why we’re lifting the Stanley Cup right now — because we’re a team and not a bunch of individuals.”
The individual refers to Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who had 1 goal and 6 assists this series, but was largely held in check on offensive zone time, open-ice rushes, and quality scoring chances.
It takes a team to slow down McDavid, and Florida’s unity was on full display throughout this series. Its top defense pairing of Aaron Ekblad, who is a complete pest on the back-end, and Gustav Forsling, who is quickly emerging as one of the top defensive defenseman in the league, did their jobs.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was once again locked in on the biggest stage, recording a .919 save percentage and a 2.80 goals allowed on average over these six games. His two losses came in overtime contests.
While Tkachuk was not his normal self, playing through a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia injury, he still recorded 3 goals, 4 assists, and was a complete menace on the forecheck.
Of the Panthers’ top nine forwards, seven of them competed in the Four Nations Face-Off, and arguably their most impressive group this postseason was their third line of Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell, and Brad Marchand.
The Oilers had the two best players in the series (McDavid and Leon Draisaitl), but hockey, particularly playoff hockey, remains about the depth guys.
Florida has them in waves.
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