Florida Panthers Know Fourth Win Still Toughest

The Florida Panthers are one win away from winning the Stanley Cup for the second season in a row. Last year, the Panthers knew it was going to be a challenge to win the fourth game to lift the Stanley Cup. Florida needed four elimination games to close out the series against the same Edmonton Oilers team.

There is a sense that this group wants to get it done in Game 6 as they look to apply the lessons from a year ago and apply them to the game Tuesday night. As Florida Panthers forward told the media, Game 6 will be the most challenging game of the year.

“Yeah, we have that advantage playing an elimination game at home here, again, in the situation,” Tkachuk said. “There’s no secret (Stanley) Cup is in the building. It’s going to be the toughest test and biggest game.”

The Panthers have been in this position before, not only last year in the playoffs, but also this year. They were able to close the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 in Round 1. However, they needed to go to Game 7 in Round 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs to close that series out after having a chance to close it out in Game 6.

Then, in the Eastern Conference Final, the Panthers needed two chances to close out the Carolina Hurricanes. The team is understanding the lessons they are learning from previous seasons and rounds, which will enable them to end the series earlier. However, the challenge will be greater, considering how the Edmonton Oilers perform in elimination games.

“I think when you go through a bunch of playoff series like we have, and I have, most of the time it is the toughest one,” Tkachuk continued. “Edmonton is obviously one of, if not the best team that I’ve played in my career and playoffs. So I’m sure it’s going to be a very tough one.”

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The Edmonton Oilers are going to be a desperate hockey club on Tuesday night as they look to stave off elimination. Edmonton will be facing elimination for the first time this playoff season. So, Panthers know they have to match the desperation level or else this series is heading back to Edmonton for Game 7.

“They’re in a different situation, right now. I think this is their first elimination game in the playoffs. So that’s a different wrinkle on things. And for us, we played one game seven, so maybe we’re in a little, maybe have a tiny advantage with knowing the desperation that they’re going to come out with. But we have to match that desperation. We have to treat this as a game seven for us, too.”

That is the mentality Tkacuk plays with every game. He treats every game like a Game 7. The last time the Panthers had a position to close a series out on home ice, they failed. As previously mentioned, that was in Round 2, and they played their worst game of the playoffs. Expect the Panthers to come out with their best game to close out the Stanley Cup Final.

Remember last year, the Panthers had never experienced a close-out game in the Stanley Cup Final. Florida was always on the other end of it. In 1996, in Game 4 against the Colorado Avalanche, they lost in triple overtime. In 2023, they lost in Game 5 to the Vegas Golden Knights.

This time, they have gone through the emotions of playing at home with the Stanley Cup in the building—recall last year, the Panthers had two chances to close the series out on home ice.  They failed in Game 5 before lifting the Stanley Cup in Game 7. That is something they can learn, as head coach Paul Maurice said.

“There’s a whole bunch of things that we had never experienced before and had to go through the first time,” Maurice said. “And then there’s all these superstitions. You don’t want to talk about it. You want to talk about it. Well, there are things you have to talk about. Put the cart before the horse thing, all of that stuff kind of got dealt with last year. We went through it for the first time, and now skip right to the hockey game.”

The Florida Panthers will look to get off to another good start in Game 6. They have outscored the Edmonton Oilers 7-0 in the last three games. And they expect Edmonton to come with their best in Game 6. But it seems whoever gets off to a good start controls the game. When the Panthers take a lead, it’s hard for their opponents to get it back from them. Therefore, the players understand the importance of the start for this group.

As Tkachuk points out, the simpler the game, the better it is for the Florida Panthers, who aim to dictate play once again and hope to win a second straight Stanley Cup.