Sasha Barkov Puts On Another Clinic for the Florida Panthers

SUNRISE — If Florida Panthers fans did not already appreciate the special gifts of Sasha Barkov, Friday night’s performance was worthy of whatever virtues need to be bestowed on their captain.

The Panthers themselves certainly enjoyed it.

“Those are the things special players do for the fans,” coach Paul Maurice said, “and for the players on the bench.

“We sit and watch that in awe. It was fun to be a part of.”

What Barkov did Friday night for the Panthers against the St. Louis Blues would be what college football commentators would call his ‘Heisman Moment.’

The video of Barkov’s play in the waning seconds of overtime should be viewed before anyone votes on the Selke Trophy at the end of this season.

Barkov probably won his third Selke — which goes to the NHL’s top defensive forward — simply based on his doggedness against the Blues.

St. Louis had the puck deep in the Panthers zone for over 90 seconds, with Barkov pestering the three Blues players on the ice throughout.

Even though it was an extended shift, Barkov did not skate to the bench when the puck cleared the zone.

Instead, he went after it.

With the puck back in the St. Louis zone, Barkov stripped the puck from Dylan Holloway just inside the blue before going on the attack.

He was taken down by Brayden Schenn with 43 seconds left in the game, bringing up a power-play chance in a 1-1 game.

Barkov had been on the ice for 2:10 in a wide-open 3-on-3 game.

THE FULL BARKOV SHIFT 🤯 pic.twitter.com/pvlwXEpOFw

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) December 21, 2024

Maurice called timeout in order to give his main man a breather, then threw Barkov back on the ice for the power play.

As the clock ticked down, Barkov scanned the ice before rifling off a shot with 16.2 seconds left that beat Joel Hofer blocker side for the 2-1 win.

Incredible sequence.

Incredible player.

LET'S GO HOME BABY 😼

Sasha Barkov is your @Energizer OT hero! pic.twitter.com/JCt257TQdB

— NHL (@NHL) December 21, 2024

“He is a high-end player and he made a high-end play,” said St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery, who saw a lot of Barkov during his days coaching the Bruins.  

Maurice was asked to compare Barkov to other players he had coached over the years.

“He is really unique,’’ Maurice said. “He’s a Selke winner with incredible speed and size but then great hands as well. There’s just not very many, over the history of the game, guys like that.”

The Panthers, who have now won three straight and six of the past eight, could have won Friday’s game comfortably or lost.

Hofer was terrific.

Florida found itself down 1-0 midway through the first before Barkov sent a cross-ice pass to a waiting Uvis Balinskis to tie it midway through the second.

And that is where it stayed.

The Blues had numerous opportunities to win the game in the third and overtime, only Sergei Bobrovsky mad some big-time saves to keep things even.

Then it became the Barkov Show.

“It was a great effort by him,’’ Bobrovsky said. “He is a true leader, a true captain you know. He showed up today.”

Indeed.

Barkov missed two games on Florida’s road trip due to illness, but despite the heavy travel, did not seem to skip a beat on Friday night.

After the game, he credited Florida’s strength and conditioning folks for his stamina, only those coaches probably learn a lot from Barkov.

Stuff that Barkov learned when Jaromir Jagr got here 10 years ago still resonate with him today.

“I feel great,’’ Barkov said. “We won. Winning is the best.’’

Barkov working the puck away from Holloway near the boards even after being on the ice so long was something Jagr had to appreciate.

“He was probably on the ice for two minutes,’’ Maurice marveled, “before he took on the rest of their team.”

ON DECK: GAME No. 35

FLORIDA PANTHERS AT TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

• When: Sunday, 5 p.m.
• Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
• Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Season Series — At Tampa Bay: Sunday; Ap. 15. At Florida:Monday; March 3.
• Last Regular Season: Panthers Won 2-1
• All-time Regular Season Series: Florida leads 77-51-19, 10 ties
• All-Time Postgame Series: Lightning Leads 2-1 (won 2021 first-round, 2022 ECS); Florida d. Lightning 4-1 in 2024 first-round.
• Up Next for the Panthers: Monday vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.