It’s an up-close look at NHL history in the third episode of “Quest For The Stanley Cup.”
For the first time, the first two games of each Conference Finals go to overtime and the backstage show is here to record the pivotal moments of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, and the Western Conference Finals between Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights.
On the Eastern Conference side, there’s a close-up of how teams recover in the 48 hours between the end of the Panthers’ four-overtime victory in Game 1 and the start of Game 2.
“There were parts of that game that both teams looked exactly the way they were supposed to look,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after Game 1. “At some point you wonder how many time can these men push that hard without it becoming dangerous. We’re getting pretty close to that threshold where nothing good happens after that for these men.
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The recovery seems to be working well, as the Panthers move forward Eric Steel said, “I’m going seven more periods”, and his teammate Brandon Montour adds to “coast to coast like butter and toast”.
There are also off-ice extensions for players, like the Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinookwho spends his recovery time playing mini sticks in the living room with his son, Chase.
“My son, he’s a hockey addict, so he wants to play mini-sticks all the time,” Martinook said. “Sometimes when you come home from the rink it’s like, ‘I don’t really want to play hockey.’ But if he asks me, I can’t really say no to him.”
Video: Hurricanes, Panthers recover from 4 OT in QFTSC clip
It’s a bit more relaxed atmosphere for the Golden Knights, who take a 2-0 lead in the Western Final, thanks in part to the striker’s play Jack Eichelwho is making the playoffs for the first time in his NHL career.
He was seen leading on the ice and having fun at home with his girlfriend, Erin, and his dog, Harold.
“I’ve played almost 500 games now, and this will be the end of my eighth season and every year I’m at home watching other teams playing and I’m like, ‘I wish I was in this. situation,” he said. “It took me a little while to get this opportunity to make the Stanley Cup playoffs and be one of the last four hockey teams to play. You have to enjoy the experience as much as possible.”
Episode 3 of “Quest For The Stanley Cup” aired Friday on ESPN+ in the United States and on YouTube.com/NHL in Canada and abroad. The episodes will also be rebroadcast on ESPN2.
