After winning the Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019, Tarasenko is playing a key role for Florida
Vladimir Tarasenko has brought Stanley Cup-winning experience to the Florida Panthers in their pursuit of the first NHL championship in franchise history
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Minutes after winning Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final to move to the verge of a second championship in six years, Vladimir Tarasenko had no interest in revisiting the events that occurred on the ice.
“The game is over,” he said. “There is no need to talk about it.”
On to the next game, the next chance, is something Tarasenko learned during the St. Louis Blues' title run in 2019, and he has brought some of that mentality to the Florida Panthers as they aim to win the first championship in franchise history. One of a couple of trade deadline pickups acquired to bolster the roster for just this occasion, Tarasenko has scored four goals this playoffs and taken on an important role in his short time with the club.
“He’s been incredible — just his energy, every day,” fellow forward Sam Bennett said. “He’s always smiling. He’s always in a good mood. His leadership has been crucial for us. He’s got that experience and a lot of guys look up to him, so he’s been incredible for especially the young guys. But, honestly, every guy in our locker room looks up to him. He’s been a big part of this.”
