The Florida Panthers had a wild run to the Stanley Cup finals. After squeaking into the playoffs by taking the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Panthers upset the Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs on their way to the finals where they were defeated by the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

Panthers center and captain Sasha Barkov is now reflecting on their improbable trip to the finals which ended in the unfortunate series loss to the Golden Knights.

During an interview on the NHL @TheRink podcast, Barkov said, “I think that whole run, it made us stronger. The core is pretty much the same with the team, and now we've experienced almost everything. … We know. When you're experienced in something, you know what to expect,” via Kayla Douglas of The Score.

Barkov also spoke on all the experience the team gained during their improbable run, saying, “We played in Toronto – probably the biggest hockey market – during the playoffs. We experienced that,” Barkov said. “Carolina, the way they play, we experienced that. Then obviously the finals, I feel like it was just a different animal leading up to it.”

This was the deepest run in the playoffs for Sasha Barkov during his career so far. Despite the Panthers playing inconsistently throughout the regular season, Barkov had one of the better years of his career, earning just his second All-Star nod. The Finnish star will hope for the Panthers to pick up where they left off in the playoffs when the next season begins in October.