<p>There are circumstantial differences entering Game 5, and the Florida Panthers can draw on their wealth of experience to evoke a sense of calm, entering a pivotal clash against the <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/combinations">Toronto Maple Leafs</a>.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
<p>Aleksander Barkov is leading the charge for the Panthers, during a series where he may have the upper hand on Auston Matthews, who has been rendered without a goal through four games. Barkov has won it all before, he&#8217;s the reigning Selke Trophy candidate and it&#8217;s clear that nothing is going to faze him, with the series advantage for the taking on Wednesday evening.</p>
<p>Barkov was driven into the boards by Max Domi at the end of Game 4. <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-max-domi-fined-5000-hit-panthers-aleksander-barkov">Domi was fined $5,000 as a result</a>, the maximum allowable amount under the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement. It&#8217;s been a contentious series, where Sam Bennett avoided sanction for a questionable hit on Anthony Stolarz, which has kept the Maple Leafs&#8217; goaltender out of the series since Game 1, while Dmitry Kulikov was not penalized for an elbow on Mitch Marner. These incidents have become grating, at least in the larger hockey sphere, but Barkov&#8217;s sense of calm provides a telling insight on the effect of questionable officiating throughout the playoffs.</p>
<p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t see it. It&#8217;s fine. It&#8217;s playoff hockey, so things happen,&#8221; Barkov said with a smile Wednesday, when asked about Domi&#8217;s hit.</p>
<p>And that has to be the mentality for both teams. Although the first three games presented some thrilling hockey, where both teams were looking to get out in transition, it&#8217;s shaping up to be a cagier affair, a sequence of small battles, or really, 12 battles within the game as Barkov explained.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the challenge,&#8221; Barkov said. &#8220;This building is tough to play. We saw that the first two games, they played really well here. Five minutes at a time, that&#8217;s how it is, a shift at a time. We go in with the mindset that we need to bring our best and that&#8217;s it.&#8221;</p>
<p>Barkov has primarily shadowed the Auston Matthews line, and though he&#8217;s getting outscored 4-1 at 5-on-5 by the Maple Leafs&#8217; stars, the Panthers control the quality of shot attempts. Florida boasts 61 percent share of the expected goals when Barkov is on the ice matched up against Matthews at 5-on-5. <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/5-reasons-why-toronto-maple-leafs-florida-panthers-series-tied-four-games">He&#8217;s finding his offensive stride</a> with two goals and three points in his last three games, after <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/matthews-won-minutes-easily-barkov-game-1-captain-matchup-game-2">Matthews outplayed him in Game 1</a>, and his confidence serves as a window into the Panthers&#8217; mentality.</p>
<p>&#8220;He is ego-less,&#8221; Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of Barkov on Wednesday afternoon. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know if I have that word right, because I think elite players have a belief in themselves, a confidence in themselves, why would you push yourself that hard if you didn&#8217;t think you could be better and become elite? He won&#8217;t make the play to try to get himself something, unless he can. He won&#8217;t cheat. He hasn&#8217;t cheated for a play or a point in his life. He&#8217;s your captain and everybody has to follow that model.&#8221;</p>
<p>Maurice also downplayed Matthews&#8217; lack of goal-scoring, noting that Jonah Gadjovich&#8217;s critical goal in Game 3 isn&#8217;t being awarded to Barkov. Barkov embodies the Panthers&#8217; ethos, where crushing teams on the forecheck and adhering to a neutral zone trap is paramount to their success. Across the hall, it&#8217;s shaping up to be the <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/its-time-matthews-marner-deliver">most important game of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner&#8217;s careers</a>, which could potentially serve as a referendum on their decade-long tenures in Toronto. All the pressure is on the Maple Leafs, while Barkov and the Panthers can enter the game without an ego, as a knowing calm is indeed one of the benefits of winning it all before.</p>
<h3>Sponsored by bet365</h3>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>


There are circumstantial differences entering Game 5, and the Florida Panthers can draw on their wealth of experience to evoke a sense of calm, entering a pivotal clash against the <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/combinations">Toronto Maple Leafs</a>.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
Aleksander Barkov is leading the charge for the Panthers, during a series where he may have the upper hand on Auston Matthews, who has been rendered without a goal through four games. Barkov has won it all before, he's the reigning Selke Trophy candidate and it's clear that nothing is going to faze him, with the series advantage for the taking on Wednesday evening.

Barkov was driven into the boards by Max Domi at the end of Game 4. <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-max-domi-fined-5000-hit-panthers-aleksander-barkov">Domi was fined $5,000 as a result</a>, the maximum allowable amount under the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement. It's been a contentious series, where Sam Bennett avoided sanction for a questionable hit on Anthony Stolarz, which has kept the Maple Leafs' goaltender out of the series since Game 1, while Dmitry Kulikov was not penalized for an elbow on Mitch Marner. These incidents have become grating, at least in the larger hockey sphere, but Barkov's sense of calm provides a telling insight on the effect of questionable officiating throughout the playoffs.

"I didn't see it. It's fine. It's playoff hockey, so things happen," Barkov said with a smile Wednesday, when asked about Domi's hit.

And that has to be the mentality for both teams. Although the first three games presented some thrilling hockey, where both teams were looking to get out in transition, it's shaping up to be a cagier affair, a sequence of small battles, or really, 12 battles within the game as Barkov explained.

"That's the challenge," Barkov said. "This building is tough to play. We saw that the first two games, they played really well here. Five minutes at a time, that's how it is, a shift at a time. We go in with the mindset that we need to bring our best and that's it."

Barkov has primarily shadowed the Auston Matthews line, and though he's getting outscored 4-1 at 5-on-5 by the Maple Leafs' stars, the Panthers control the quality of shot attempts. Florida boasts 61 percent share of the expected goals when Barkov is on the ice matched up against Matthews at 5-on-5. <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/5-reasons-why-toronto-maple-leafs-florida-panthers-series-tied-four-games">He's finding his offensive stride</a> with two goals and three points in his last three games, after <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/matthews-won-minutes-easily-barkov-game-1-captain-matchup-game-2">Matthews outplayed him in Game 1</a>, and his confidence serves as a window into the Panthers' mentality.

"He is ego-less," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of Barkov on Wednesday afternoon. "I don't know if I have that word right, because I think elite players have a belief in themselves, a confidence in themselves, why would you push yourself that hard if you didn't think you could be better and become elite? He won't make the play to try to get himself something, unless he can. He won't cheat. He hasn't cheated for a play or a point in his life. He's your captain and everybody has to follow that model."

Maurice also downplayed Matthews' lack of goal-scoring, noting that Jonah Gadjovich's critical goal in Game 3 isn't being awarded to Barkov. Barkov embodies the Panthers' ethos, where crushing teams on the forecheck and adhering to a neutral zone trap is paramount to their success. Across the hall, it's shaping up to be the <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/its-time-matthews-marner-deliver">most important game of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner's careers</a>, which could potentially serve as a referendum on their decade-long tenures in Toronto. All the pressure is on the Maple Leafs, while Barkov and the Panthers can enter the game without an ego, as a knowing calm is indeed one of the benefits of winning it all before.
<h3>Sponsored by bet365</h3>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>

Aleksander Barkov and the ‘ego-less’ Panthers entering Game 5 with a knowing calm

Recent articles from Arun Srinivasan

Breaking News