Maybe the third time will be the charm for the Florida Panthers. The Panthers have failed in their last two attempts to win the most coveted trophy in sports, the Stanley Cup, and will try again for the third time on Friday night.
It reinforces how hard it is to win this trophy and that the fourth game in a series is always the hardest to win.
The Edmonton Oilers have battled back and now have all the momentum as they have won the last two games of the Stanley Cup Finals to now trail the Florida Panthers 3-2, with game six coming up in Edmonton on Friday night.
This is not what the Florida Panthers had in mind when they got on the plane after their humiliating 8-1 loss to the Oilers on Saturday night.
The Panthers hoped to close out the Oilers at home on Monday night and avoid making the 2574-mile trip back to Edmonton. However, the Oilers had other plans.
Sergei Bobrovsky Must Play Better
Sergei Bobrovsky, who was a lock for the Conn Smyth after game three, has looked like just your average goaltender the last two games in allowing 10 Edmonton goals on 40 shots.
It got so bad for Bobrovsky that Paul Maurice replaced him with Anthony Stolarz five minutes into the second period of game four after allowing five goals on 16 shots.
What has changed for the Panthers these last two games?
Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has come back to earth. Bobrovsky was incredible in the first three games, as he and the Panthers defense kept Edmonton’s top three, Conoer McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Leon Draisaitl, off the score sheet.
Panthers Must Slow Down Connor McDavid
In the last two games, though, McDavid has come alive, collecting eight points with two goals and six assists.
The Panthers power play, which was so good in the first three rounds of the playoffs, has been abysmal in the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers are 1/16 with a pair of shorthanded goals in the series.
The Panthers have started slowly in the last two games and have allowed the Oilers to take a 1-0 lead on shorthanded goals in both games.
Matthew Tkachuk calls these starts unacceptable. “Just unacceptable. We’ve got to start better. I thought our start was good, but we just gave one up, and then we were trailing.”
The Panthers’ propensity for taking penalties is finally catching up with them. Florida was the most penalized team in the NHL during the regular season and kept the penalties to a minimum during the first three rounds.
But in the finals, the Panthers have played undisciplined hockey at times, and it cost them in game five, with the Oilers going 2/5 on the PP.
Friday night, the Panthers will get another chance to raise the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
Quick Start The Key To Success For The Panthers
Matthew Tkachuk talked about the challenge ahead for the Panthers and creating that mindset that propelled the Panthers to a 3-0 lead. “Another crack at it on Friday. We did a really good job at the beginning of the series building that lead. Really, nothing changes from tonight’s mindset. We’re up 3-2 going back to Edmonton. A couple days to get ready to go for that. Get back healthy, rested, and ready to go.”
Everyone in the Panthers locker room believes the team must start better. A good start, and the Panthers believe good things will happen. “We’ve just got to be a little sharper to start,” Panthers forward Sam Bennett said.
That includes staying out of the penalty box and keeping the puck in the offensive zone when on the PP.
The puck drops just after 8 PM Friday in Edmonton for game six of the Stanley Cup Finals.