Three findings: Barkov shines in his hometown, fans are treated to an entertaining evening of ice hockey

The first leg of the 2024 NHL Global Series in Tampere, Finland went quite well for the Florida Panthers.

Despite playing as the visiting team, Florida felt right at home at Nokia Arena, taking an early lead and never trailing en route to a 6-4 victory over the Dallas Stars.

It was a great night for the Panthers, but especially for their four Finnish players, all of whom were in the spotlight while playing in their home country.

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Of course, this evening meant something very special for each of them.

For Panthers captain Sasha Barkov, playing an NHL game in the area where he grew up had to be different.

Let's get to Friday's Finnish hockey takeaways:

BIG NIGHT FOR BARKOV

The Panthers have four Finnish players on their roster, and they were all in the spotlight during their visit to Florida for the NHL Global Series.

Nevertheless, Bakov has been one of Finland's most popular ice hockey players for well over a decade.

That's why concerns about Barkov's lower-body injury, which sidelined him for three weeks, caught the attention of more than just South Florida hockey fans.

Luckily for everyone, Barkov recovered and returned to Florida's lineup before the trip across the pond to Finland.

Now that he's back home and feeling great physically, it's no surprise that Barkov put on a show on Friday.

He finished the game with a goal and three assists, one of which was shorthanded, while winning eight of the 11 faceoffs he took and earning a plus-3 on-ice rating.

“We're happy for him, but I think maybe we've seen that game from him, and we see it quite a bit, that's why he's a star in our league,” Maurice said. “It's so nice that people have been part of his development, and not just his hockey development, but also the teachers in the city. I asked him if he lived around here and he said, “About a mile” and he went to both schools (too), so his life is right here, it's in this area. So there are a lot of proud Finns there tonight, from his third grade teacher to his little hockey coach to all the people who have witnessed part of his development. It seems right because he is a special man and a special person for our team, so everyone is rooting for him.”

FUN GAME TO WATCH

As for the game itself, there was plenty going on on the ice to get the fans pumped up.

The quality chances went both ways and the goals came fast and furious.

Not exactly the kind of game that either coach would be particularly happy with, but better for Maurice as he came out victorious.

Still, don't be surprised to see a tighter-control, more playoff-like game on Saturday.

“So 10 goals,” Maurice began. “None of the coaches are particularly happy about it, but there were probably ten more who didn't finish. The Dallas Stars are an incredibly talented team. I think they are the most talented team in the league. So you own the puck, are never out of the game and become more and more dangerous as the game goes on. We take the lead, then they become more dangerous because their risk profile changes just a little. They still respect the sport, that's why they fight for the cup every year. It was a lot, they had a lot of good chances to score, so it wasn't a boring hockey game. There was a lot going on at both ends. Pete (DeBoer) and I will try to bore you tomorrow if we can.”

LARGE CROWD OF SMARTER HOCKEY FANS

One thing that became clear to both the players on the ice and the coaches behind the bench was that they were in the presence of some really smart hockey fans.

When asked to assess the crowd after the game, Maurice expressed sincere words of respect for the Finnish fans.

“In markets where the game has been around for 100 years, they ooh and aah at the right time,” Maurice explained. “If there's a play that's very close but rather subtle, or if someone does something special with the puck, you can hear them notice it. I would call it a sophisticated audience. The people who came tonight have seen a lot of hockey, they know in advance when something is going to happen (it happens), they could feel it building up, the game evolving, and there is excitement. So I think they know the game.”

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