Photo via Sportsnet
Aleksander Barkov may not have lit up the scoresheet in the Florida Panthers’ Game 7 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, but he surely had a huge impact on it.
When Barkov was on the ice, he was dominant: He came up with big defensive play after big defensive play, he was relentless on the forecheck, he generated multiple quality chances in the offensive zone and his line held possession of the puck more times than not.
All of that culminated in a 2-1 victory to win the Stanley Cup in the exact fashion Paul Maurice spent the past two years building his system around.
