Panthers ready for their 2nd chance at clinching Cup while Oilers seeking to force Game 6
Paul Maurice made the short trip from his home to the Florida Panthers practice facility on Monday morning in a pretty good mood and rightly so The sunshine was bright the temperature was warm and his team was one win away from claiming the
Chargers rule out Bosa Slater Herbert still iffy
SUNRISE, Fla. -- — Paul Maurice made the short trip from his home to the Florida Panthers' practice facility on Monday morning in a pretty good mood and rightly so. The sunshine was bright, the temperature was warm and his team was one win away from claiming the Stanley Cup.
That's the glass-half-full outlook. The glass-half-empty perspective would be how his Panthers were coming off a seven-goal loss — tying the second-worst defeat by any team in a playoff game since 2001 and tying the second-worst loss in a Cup final game ever.
As such, when asked if he was comfortable with a 3-1 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers in this title series, Maurice quickly explained that that simply doesn't exist at this time of year.
“Oh, no, there’s no comfort in the playoffs,” the Panthers coach said. “You’re never in a comfortable position in the playoffs. You’ve earned your wins. You’ve earned your losses. It’s the same feeling. Every playoff loss feels the same. Maybe other people get comfortable. I haven’t had that for 30 years. You’re never comfortable. Which is good, right? Just got to harness it.”
The Panthers will seek to do just that on Tuesday night when, for the first time in their history, they will take to home ice one win from the Cup. Game 5 of the title series is in Sunrise, where the Oilers try to extend their season again and Florida tries to close out the series, the season and a 30-year quest for the franchise's first championship.
Edmonton won Game 4 on Saturday night 8-1, the seventh time ever that a Cup final game was decided by seven or more goals. The record for differential was Pittsburgh's 8-0 win over Minnesota in 1991.
“We've got the Stanley Cup on the line,” Florida forward Evan Rodrigues said. “Kind of a ‘How badly do you want it?’-type deal. There was a lot of energy going into that game. I think we'll be better prepared for Game 5.”
The Oilers would expect nothing less.
It's not fair to compare Edmonton's horrible start to the season — it was at the bottom of the NHL a few weeks into the year — to being down 3-0 in the Cup final, but there is a parallel there in that the Oilers know what it's like to play with no room for error. It brought out their best during the regular season, with a 16-game winning streak highlighting their turnaround, and brought out their best in Game 4.
“For us, being able to get to where we are shows everybody, no matter what they say, that we came together as a brotherhood,” Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner said. “So, there's nothing but love in the room for the guys. A very special group of guys that just showed a lot of character through everything that we've been through. Here we are again, facing elimination, and we're going to fight together, like we always do.”
Down 3-0 in the title series, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch told his players that he wanted them to enjoy their last 10 days together. The meaning was clear: He fully believes his club can take this series to the limit and see what happens in a Game 7.
One win down, two to go before those Game 7 hopes become reality.
“I don't think it was ever a doubt that they weren't a good team and they could be here today,” Knoblauch said. “I think belief was always part of that room.”
The Panthers have it as well.
They're 4-1 after losses in these playoffs, outscoring their opponents by a combined 21-10 count in those five games that immediately followed a defeat. Granted, none of those previous five defeats in this postseason run resembled anything close to Saturday's 8-1 rout.
“Can't dwell on what's in the past,” defenseman Brandon Montour said. “I think the boys obviously were pretty (angry) about the result, about the outcome that we put forward. But we pushed that pretty quick after we left the arena and we'll focus on the next one.”
The way Maurice sees it, Saturday has to be a learning experience.
Edmonton was desperate, Florida wasn't ready and that was that. The Cup will be in the building again Tuesday, ready for Florida to claim, just like it was on Saturday.
“It is different,” Maurice said of playing a game with the Cup one win away. “There’s the feeling of the goal sits in front of the game that’s played. So, in Game 3, the goal is behind the game. Can’t win it tonight. The game becomes priority. But when you can, then it sits in front of the game and you’ve got to break through it or figure out a way to get it behind the game again. I don’t know if that makes great sense, but it's foremost in your head coming to the rink. You know it’s there.”
------
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Shohei Ohtani a href https apnews com article dodgers-shohei-ohtani-5138a9aa3dd879cc325cfac9b91f35b3 hit his 54th homer a of the season a towering three-run shot after stealing his 57th base earlier in the game and the NL West-champion Los
Jacob deGrom pitched four innings of one-run ball and Wyatt Langford and Adolis Garc a hit back-to-back homers in the first inning of the Texas Rangers 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night
Officials declared what would have been a a href https x com espn status 1839877894530539676 winning final-play touchdown a by Virginia Tech an incomplete pass after a lengthy review of the final play and No 7 Miami escaped with a 38-34
Australia defender Alessandro Circati will miss the rest of the third round of Asia s World Cup preliminaries after his Serie A side Parma announced he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in training on Friday
Luis Arraez hit two doubles and a triple Yu Darvish pitched 5 1 3 gritty innings and the San Diego Padres used a four-run first to beat the sliding Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 on Friday night
["Premier League Arsenal versus Leicester City kick off 15:00 Sat 28 Sep 2024? Follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Arsenal vs \nLeicester City in the Premier League.","Team news: Raya fit to start against Leicester? Mikel Arteta has named the same 11 players that started against Manchester \nCity last week in his starting line-up for today's Premier League","Arsenal XI vs Leicester: Starting lineup, confirmed team news, injury \nlatest for Premier League game today? David Raya fit to start in a huge boost for the Gunners.","How to watch Arsenal vs. Leicester in Canada: Live stream, channel, time, \nlineups for Premier League match? Arsenal vs. Leicester kickoff time: Here's how to watch the Premier League \nmatch on TV and live stream in Canada as well as the latest team","Nwaneri question, Havertz decision, Trossard return - Best Arsenal midfield \nfor Leicester named? Mikel Arteta has some tough decisions to make when it comes to Arsenal's \nmidfield against Leicester City.","Steve Cooper confirms Leicester injury situation ahead of Arsenal clash? Leicester boss Steve Cooper has confirmed that he is not expecting any \nplayers to return from injury before Saturday's trip to Arsenal.","Sutton's predictions: Arsenal v Leicester? Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this \nseason, against a variety of guests. For week six, he takes on","How to watch Chelsea vs Brighton on US TV and live streaming? Here are all of the details of where you can watch Chelsea vs Brighton on \nUS television and via legal streaming:","Alan Shearer predicts Arsenal will make massive change after Man City drama? Arsenal take on Leicester City in the Premier League looking to continue \ntheir unbeaten start to the season after recording a dramatic draw","3 talking points ahead of Arsenal vs Leicester? Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber started at left-back and right-back \nrespectively against Manchester City and should continue in these","Premier League Chelsea versus Brighton & Hove Albion kick off 15:00 Sat 28 \nSep 2024? Follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Chelsea vs \nBrighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.","Chelsea vs. Brighton & Hove Albion, Premier League: Live blog; highlights? Chelsea look to make it four wins in a row, three in the league, and five \ngames unbeaten overall in all competitions.","Chelsea vs Brighton \u2013 Team News: Malo Gusto returns? Chelsea face Brighton at Stamford Bridge in just under an hour, and the \nteams are in!It's the exact lineup we were expecting, with just one","Noni Madueke and Moises Caicedo drop Chelsea team news hint as Enzo Maresca \nconfirms injury blow? Chelsea will be looking to extend their winning streak when they welcome \nBrighton to Stamford Bridge.","Confirmed Chelsea line up vs Brighton and Hove Albion | News | Official Site? Enzo Maresca has made ten changes to his Chelsea side for this afternoon's \nPremier League clash against Brighton and Hove Albion at Stamford","Chelsea vs Brighton: LIVE Updates, watch live, score, analysis, highlights? The top-four pushes of Chelsea and Brighton go head-to-head at Stamford \nBridge on Saturday, where Enzo Maresca's long clean sheet streak","How to watch Chelsea vs. Brighton in UK: Live stream, channel, start time, \nlineups for Premier League match? Chelsea host Brighton for the Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge, \nLondon on Saturday. The home-team come into the tie having scored","The key attacking, defensive and goalkeeping stats behind Chelsea\u2019s good \nstart? Chelsea's stat pack for today's game against Brighton makes fascinating \nreading. The Blues are in good form and the numbers back that up.","Liverpool vs. Wolves LIVE STREAM (9\/28\/24): Time, TV, channel for Premier \nLeague? Liverpool face Wolverhampton in a Premier League game on Saturday, \nSeptember 28, 2024 (9\/28\/24) at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton,","Chelsea boss Maresca speaks on injury prone Lavia? The midfielder has barely featured for the club so far this term, despite \nhaving been fit in preseason. Advertisement. Advertisement.","Preview: Rayo Vallecano vs. Leganes - prediction, team news, lineups? Rayo Vallecano will be looking to stretch their unbeaten run in La Liga to \nfour matches when they continue their 2024-25 campaign at home to","Rayo Vallecano vs. Leganes Prediction by Proven Computer Model [9\/28\/2024]? Our detailed prediction and analysis for the Rayo Vallecano vs. Leganes La \nLiga game on September 28, 2024 is featured below.","Rayo Vallecano vs Leganes: Match Preview and Prediction? Date: September 28, 2024 Time: 17:15. Location: Madrid, Vallecas. La Liga \n2024-25, Matchday 8Rayo Vallecano \u2013 LeganesWhere to Watch: MEGOGO,","Watch Rayo Vallecano vs. CD Leganes Online: Live Stream, Start Time? The upcoming match between Rayo Vallecano and CD Leganes is set to see the \n10th-placed Vallecano take on 15th-placed Leganes.","Rayo Vallecano vs Leganes Prediction and Betting Tips | September 28th 2024? Rayo Vallecano will welcome Leganes to the Estadio de Vallecas in La Liga \non Saturday. Vallecano have two wins in seven games and are in","Watch Rayo Vallecano vs. CD Leganes Online: Live Stream, Start Time? Discover how to live stream and get game time information for the LaLiga \nmatchup between Rayo Vallecano and CD Leganes.","Rayo Vallecano vs. Leganes Prediction, Odds, La Liga Picks [9\/28\/2024]? Rayo Vallecano and Leganes will lock horns in La Liga at Estadio de \nVallecas on Saturday, with kickoff at 10:15AM ET.","Best Bets Today for All Sports: Saturday's Picks Include Leganes vs. Rayo \nVallecano La Liga Play [9\/28\/2024]? Another big day of sports is upon us, with our innovative computer model \nworking hard to provide you with the best bets for Saturday,","Best Bets Today for All Sports: Friday's Picks Include Leganes vs. Rayo \nVallecano La Liga Play [9\/27\/2024]? Another great day of sports is upon us, with our revolutionary computer \nmodel working hard to provide you with the best bets for Friday,","UEFA Women\u2019s Champions League 2024: Big returns, historic firsts, and how \nto watch every match for free on DAZN? The UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) is back and bigger than ever, with \nthe 2024 group stage promising to deliver some of the best","European champion Barcelona gets Man City in group stage of Women\u2019s \nChampions League? NYON, Switzerland (AP) \u2014 Two-time defending champion Barcelona will play \nManchester City in a Women's Champions League group after the","UWCL group stage draw: Stefano Braghin's comments? After Juventus Women's First Team's excellent two-legged victory against \nPSG in Round 2 of the UEFA Women's Champions League, the draw for","Women's Champions League Draw: Chelsea and Celtic drawn together in group \nstage? Former finalists Chelsea and debutants Celtic are drawn together in the \ngroup stage of the Women's Champions League.","Women\u2019s Champions League: group-by-group analysis and predictions? Chelsea have a kind draw and Arsenal should progress despite a tricky group \nas Celtic face a huge challenge after reaching this stage for","Women's Champions League draw: Man City face Barca in group stage? NYON, Switzerland (AP) \u2014 Two-time defending champion Barcelona will play \nManchester City in a Women's Champions League group after the","Women's Champions League group stage draw made? Barcelona vs Man City, Lyon vs Wolfsburg and Bayern vs Arsenal are among \nthe fixtures set up by the group stage draw.","Women's Champions League draw: Man City to face holders Barcelona; Arsenal, \nChelsea and Celtic learn opponents? Womens Champions League kicks off on October 8 with debutants Man City in \nGroup D with last years winners Barcelona, SKN St Polten and","Real Madrid to face Chelsea, Twente and Celtic in Women's Champions League \nGroup B? Our team's first game will be played on 8 or 9 October, while the last \nclash is set for 17 or 18 December.","This is whom Real Madrid will face in the UWCL group stage? The group stage for the 2024\/2025 season of the UEFA Women's Champions \nLeague was held in Nyon today at 13:00 CEST (local time)."]
How to watch Arsenal vs. Leicester in Canada: Live stream, channel, time,
lineups for Premier League match? Arsenal vs. Leicester kickoff time: Here's how to watch the Premier League
match on TV and live stream in Canada as well as the latest team
How to watch Chelsea vs Brighton on US TV and live streaming? Here are all of the details of where you can watch Chelsea vs Brighton on
US television and via legal streaming:Chelsea vs. Brighton & Hove Albion, Premier League: Live blog; highlights? Chelsea look to make it four wins in a row, three in the league, and five
games unbeaten overall in all competitions.
Chelsea vs Brighton: LIVE Updates, watch live, score, analysis, highlights? The top-four pushes of Chelsea and Brighton go head-to-head at Stamford
Bridge on Saturday, where Enzo Maresca's long clean sheet streak
Chelsea boss Maresca speaks on injury prone Lavia? The midfielder has barely featured for the club so far this term, despite
having been fit in preseason. Advertisement. Advertisement.Watch Rayo Vallecano vs. CD Leganes Online: Live Stream, Start Time? The upcoming match between Rayo Vallecano and CD Leganes is set to see the
10th-placed Vallecano take on 15th-placed Leganes.
Best Bets Today for All Sports: Saturday's Picks Include Leganes vs. Rayo
Vallecano La Liga Play [9/28/2024]? Another big day of sports is upon us, with our innovative computer model
working hard to provide you with the best bets for Saturday,
UWCL group stage draw: Stefano Braghin's comments? After Juventus Women's First Team's excellent two-legged victory against
PSG in Round 2 of the UEFA Women's Champions League, the draw forWomen's Champions League group stage draw made? Barcelona vs Man City, Lyon vs Wolfsburg and Bayern vs Arsenal are among
the fixtures set up by the group stage draw.