The Florida Panthers can wake up from their 48-hour hibernation to return to the Jungle at Amerant Bank Arena for Game 5 of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals. Florida returns to the comfy swamps with a first-time opportunity to claim the Stanley Cup trophy on home ice.
Following an 8-1 win on their home ice, the Edmonton Oilers will return to South Florida armed with something not yet seen from them in this series – confidence. McDavid and friends finally broke through a suffocating Florida Panthers defense two nights ago. Can they do the same in Game 5 on the road?
Panthers Fans Dreamt Of Today For 30 Years
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In 1992, Wayne Huizenga and his dream of hockey for fans in South Florida was born. The Florida Panthers played their inaugural game on October 12, 1993. The franchise reached the Stanley Cup Finals twice in its 30-year franchise length. A three-year-old Panthers franchise was properly swept by a mighty 1996 Colorado Avalanche squad and last season’s five-game failure to an offensive juggernaut from Vegas.
However, this time the VIBES are all different in South Florida. The Panthers bring a 3-1 series lead into Game 5 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals. Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press writes that mindset is pretty simple for forward Evan Rodrigues and the Florida Panthers. “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.
They only have to contain the best player in the world from the Edmonton Oilers to do it. No biggie, right?
Game 4 Hangover For the Florida Panthers?
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Following Game 4, the Florida Panthers provided the consistent messaging that is expected in a postseason defeat that snowballed out of control. Florida defenseman Brandon Montour indicated an unhappy Panthers bunch tried to move on quickly from the ugly defeat.
“Can’t dwell on what’s in the past. 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.”
Brandon Montour has played admirably on the Florida blueline in 21 games this postseason. He has 10 points and a net-even player in plus/minus. This means that Florida has scored and given up an even amount of goals at 5-on-5 during the Playoffs.
Bruised Cats Playing at 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final
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According to Dan Rosen on the NHL’s website, several Florida stars did not participate in practice on Monday afternoon. Panthers coach Paul Maurice gave a thumbs up on the playing status of Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad in Game 5 with an “all good”. Each of those important Panther players skated less than 20 minutes during a physically demanding Game 4 loss.
Defenseman Aaron Ekblad might be the most critical player returning to the lineup. The 28-year-old will need a better effort than the -4 he posted over 19 minutes of ice time in Game 4. It’s been a heavy defensive load thus far slowing down some of the best scorers in the NHL during this entire postseason. An off day to get some rest following a tough outing at the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals could be a wise decision from the Florida coaching staff.
About The Author
Christopher Babos is a genuine sports & entertainment journalist with diverse credentials in writing, broadcasting, and digital media. With various roles in the sports industry over two decades, Chris can speak with authority on the topics he covers. He can be located on X for real-time takes (@CBabosWrites).
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