Sasha Barkov Returns for Florida Panthers, Back Home in Finland

By the time you probably read this, the Florida Panthers will be in Finland — and captain Sasha Barkov will be home.

Well, close enough.

The Panthers flew overnight from Buffalo to Helsinki, taking off about 2 1/2 hours after they finished off the Sabres with a 5-2 win.

The Panthers landed around 7:30 our time — or, 1:30 p.m. in Helsinki.

Monday was Barkov’s first game back since he was injured trying to break up an empty net goal on Oct. 10, that injury costing him eight games.

Two days after Barkov was hurt, coach Paul Maurice said Barkov would probably miss about two weeks and that the team’s medical staff was “very optimistic that he’ll play in Finland.”

Maurice stressed as the games without Barkov went along that no one — not the coaches, the trainers, nor Barkov himself — were going to rush him along just so he could play on home ice.

But it is pretty obvious how much playing true home games mean to him.

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Although the Panthers will be in Helsinki today, they will make the two-hour drive to Barkov’s hometown of Tampere where they will play the Dallas Stars in the NHL’s two-game Global Series starting Friday.

The Panthers and Stars are scheduled to practice in Helsinki today before having Wednesday off; they will practice at Nokia Arena in Tampere on Thursday.

When the Panthers last played in Finland back in 2018, they played two games against Paul Maurice and his Winnipeg Jets in Helsinki.

Being in Finland will also be a homecoming for Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, and Niko Mikkola.

These will be actual home games for Sasha Barkov.

“We’re going to play two NHL games in my hometown, like, literally a mile away from my school that I grew up in,” Barkov said after Monday’s win, one in which he set up Sam Reinhart with a beautiful no-look pass in the first before scoring his first goal of the season in the third.

“I never thought that would happen. It’s a dream come true. I cannot wait to get there.”

Barkov left Tampere as a teenager in 2013, coming to Florida for the first time a few days after the Panthers made him the second-overall pick of the draft that year in Newark.

One of the first things he took care of was getting his Florida driver’s license.

“I don’t have a car but I have the license,” Barkov said during his first training camp. “I failed the first time because I didn’t understand the questions.”

Barkov got a car — a couple of them, actually.

Most of them fast ones.

He fit right in.

“It’s a place I’m going to enjoy living in,” he said.

Although Barkov has made a home in South Florida, Tampere really is home.

And, like South Florida, it is a place he takes a whole lot of pride in.

When he took the Stanley Cup home over the summer, Tampere shut down and rebranded itself, at least for the day, as ‘Barkov City.’

The official logo even had palm trees on it.

It was very Florida, not very Finnish, but all Barkov.

In 2020, Barkov bought into the Tappara Tempere team which plays at Nokia Arena.

When he brought the Cup home, he posed with it inside the Tappara locker room.

He will be back in there this week.

“It’s amazing, those two games we are playing there, I have been thinking about them all the time ever since they were announced,’’ Barkov said.

“I have been waiting for this day, to travel there. I was there once, in Helsinki and played two games, but this is even more special because it’s on the rink my team plays. It will be a one of a kind experience. I am not looking forward to the flight, but we’re going to a great place, so I am excited.’’

ON DECK: GAME 12 

NHL GLOBAL SERIES AT TAMPERE, FINLAND

FLORIDA PANTHERS V. DALLAS STARS

• When: Friday, 1 p.m. EDT
• Where: Nokia Arena; Tampere, Finland
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WPTV 5/WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (Naples/FTM)
• National TV: NHLN
• 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
• Last Season: Florida won 2-0
• This Season — At Tampere, Finland: Friday, Saturday.
• All-time Regular Season Series: Florida leads 26-21-2, 3 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday vs. Dallas Stars, 11 a.m. EDT