Despite being blown out 8-1 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup last, the Florida Panthers nonetheless have their collective fingers across the Edmonton Oilers’ throats.
They might not have swept the best-of-seven Cup last, however they’re heading again to Sunrise, Fla., with a 3 video games to one lead.
“It’s all about us and the team to manage the losses,” stated Panthers centre Aleksander Barkov, who was a minus-2 in Saturday’s lopsided setback. “It only counts as one win, it doesn’t matter how much you lose, 2-1 or 8-1 — or you win 2-1 or 8-1.
“Obviously, we’d like to bounce again and recuperate now and take into consideration the subsequent one.”
While the Panthers got outworked in Game 4, they were quick to point out that the goal was to earn a split in Edmonton — which they did. The 4-3 win in Thursday’s Game 3 gave the Panthers a stranglehold on the series. And, after a long flight back to the Miami area, they know they can skate the Cup around in front of their own fans at Amerant Bank Arena.
It’s a cliche, but it’s true: If you’d have asked the Panthers last week if they’d be happy with a 3-1 lead in the series, to a man they’d have said yes.
WATCH l Nurse ends Bobrovsky’s night in Game 4 rout:
Connor McDavid recorded a purpose and three assists in Edmonton’s 8-1 victory over Florida to keep away from a sweep in the Stanley Cup last. McDavid broke Wayne Gretzky’s NHL file for many assists in a single postseason with 32. The Panthers lead the sequence 3-1 and have one other likelihood to clinch their first Cup title on Tuesday.
“At the end of the day, it’s back to the drawing board,” stated Panthers ahead Matthew Tkachuk, who was penalized in the second interval for delivering a sequence of punches to star Edmonton ahead Connor McDavid’s face. “We win, we learn from it. We put it aside. We lose, same thing.
“We’re in an unbelievable spot proper now. We got here right here, in spite of everything that craziness, and received a break up, and we’re going house in entrance of our unbelievable followers which can be so excited to see us. And we’re so excited to play in entrance of them once more.”
Rewind to 2021, the last time a Canadian team was in the Cup final. The Tampa Bay Lightning won the first three games of the series over the Montreal Canadiens. An overtime goal by Josh Anderson gave the Canadiens a Game 4 win, and sent the series back to Tampa. But the Lightning responded in Game 5 by shutting out the Habs and lifting the Cup.
The Habs may have won Game 4, but they didn’t come close to winning the war.
And star Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov famously lampooned the Canadiens and their fans for the way they celebrated a sweep-averting win.
“The followers in Montreal, come on,” Kucherov jibed. “They acted like they gained the Stanley Cup final recreation. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Their last was final sequence.”
Kucherov waited until the Stanley Cup final was over before he delivered that barb. He knew not to give the Canadiens anything that could be pinned to a dressing room bulletin board. Likewise, the Panthers weren’t going to say anything that would give the Oilers any extra gas for their competitive fires.
So Panthers coach Paul Maurice kept it calm in his post-game press conference.
“I’ll hearth up at the very least one cliche for you, so you will have one thing there,” he said to the media. “We got here into Edmonton to get a break up and we received what we would have liked, however there’s additionally a cause for that. Most cliches have some benefit. In basic, issues will probably be much more excessive outdoors your room than inside it.
“So at three-nothing, we’re not sitting there getting the engravers out. We lost the game tonight. I’m pretty sure — I’ve got to check, possibly — but there’s going to be a Game 5.”
The Panthers are coming off their worst recreation of this whole playoffs and first loss since early in the Eastern Conference last towards the New York Rangers, which they gained in six after falling behind 2-1 in that sequence.
“They’re going to be much more prepared for Game 5 than they were in Game 4,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch stated, citing the distractions his opponent dealt with in getting household and pals up to Alberta for a possible clincher. (*4*)