The Florida Panthers are one game away from the record books.
Victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday on home ice in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final would secure a maiden championship title. For the Oilers, there is no room for error.
The Panthers hold a 3-1 advantage in the best-of-seven series after the Oilers won Game 4 on Saturday to avoid a sweep.
How to watch
Game 5 will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 18 at the Panthers’ Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
The action will be shown on ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC and TVAS.
Bouncing back
The Panthers fell short in Game 4, putting in arguably their worst performance of the playoffs so far in a 8-1 defeat to the Oilers.
The eight goals were the most the team has conceded in one game all season, and they will be hoping it was just an outlier.
The team’s recent history would suggest it was merely a one-off performance, with the Panthers restricting their opponents to two goals or fewer in 12 of their 14 playoff games before Saturday’s Game 4.
However, Florida head coach Paul Maurice said he is leaning on the experience of his senior players to steady the ship.
“The emotions of the team in pro sports are going to go up and down. That’s just a fact,” Maurice said after Game 4, per the NHL. “And the further you get into the playoffs the more emotion is there and sometimes the swings are greater.
“So, you rely on those veterans not to ignore the emotions or pretend like they’re not there, but just keep it in a fairly narrow band so we’re not swinging too high or too low.”
History is on the Panthers’ side. Only one team – the 1942 Detroit Red Wings – has lost in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final series having held a 3-0 lead, with 27 of the other 28 teams closing out victory.
Florida captain Aleksander Barkov scores against the Oilers during Game 3 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Victory on Tuesday would cap off a remarkable year for the Panthers having returned to the Final after losing at this stage last season to the Vegas Golden Knights.
No slip ups
Saturday’s convincing victory for the Oilers helped instil some good feeling into the organization. However, they will have to do the same again tree more time if they want to lift the Stanley Cup.
But, according to Oilers forward Connor Brown, Edmonton flourish in these kinds of scenarios.
“I feel we’re most comfortable when our backs are against the wall,” Brown said, per the NHL. “That’s kind of what we showed at the beginning of the year when we were dead last, our backs against the wall and we came out and had some historic runs, so I think we’re a new club in that regard.
“When we get in a rhythm and we get playing our brand of hockey, we know what it feels like and (Saturday) night, we knew exactly what it feels like. We’re a scary club.”
McDavid (left) celebrates with Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (right) after Edmonton’s victory in Game 4. Derek Leung/Getty Images
Despite the pressure resting on their shoulders, the team is just taking it one game at a time, according to captain Connor McDavid.
“It’s just one win, that’s all it is,” McDavid, who on Saturday broke Wayne Gretzky’s record in assists during a single postseason, said, per the NHL. “It doesn’t matter if you scored eight or if you scored one, it’s just one win.
“And we’ve got to go to Florida and do a job, and drag them back to Alberta.”