Panthers ready to 'write our new story' against Oilers in Cup Final

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- When the Florida Panthers woke up on the morning of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final last season, there were so many questions. They had never been in this position, most of them, in a first for the franchise, they didn't know how they would react as individuals or as a team.

But, perhaps most importantly, they barely knew who would suit up.

The Panthers had gone through the gauntlet, through a bruising first three rounds that saw, for example, defenseman Aaron Ekblad playing on a foot he had broken in the Eastern Conference First Round against the Boston Bruins.

"We had this great big unknown going into Game 1 and that was Eetu Luostarinen," Panthers coach Paul Maurice recalled Saturday. "We lost him in the third period of Game 4 against Carolina (in the conference final)."

He wasn't the only one.

"In differences, there were 27 guys on the ice yesterday, and we had about 14 reasonably healthy guys left in that practice the year before," Maurice said.

What a difference a year makes.

It was one year and five days ago that the Panthers were in this position, staring up at Game 1 of the Cup Final. They are here again, with Game 1 at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC).

So many things are different, from the chance to start the series at home in South Florida, as opposed to on the road in Las Vegas, as they did last season, to the position they hold as favorite, as opposed to their status as underdogs in 2023, to the nine days between the last game of the Eastern Conference Final and the Cup Final they had last season, as opposed to six this season.

The Panthers would lose Game 1, 5-2. They would lose Game 2, 7-2, seeing the series evaporate in a five-game loss that seemed over before it had really begun.

They're committed to that not happening again.

"We're excited again to be back here," forward Anton Lundell said. "Last year was a huge learning experience even if it was tough to lose, but I feel like that's where the real journey started. We went through it together and we have a lot of the same guys, but at the same time we have some new guys who have been awesome, more depth. So, we're really excited to write our new story right now."

So, are there different emotions this time around?

"Probably for some guys," defenseman Brandon Montour said. "Last year for a lot of us, it was our first time going through it. Now it's at home, we can kind of lay low a little bit more. I think we're kind of getting that vibe of the job's not done, we're excited to stick to what we do and continue that."

In 2022-23, with a team that had barely made the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there was a sense that the Panthers were playing with house money as they entered the Final. That's not true this season on a team that has been focused on getting here -- and winning -- since they showed up for training camp.

"Last year, each series was its own complete event and accomplishment by our team," Maurice said. "If everybody had to go home after the Boston series, what a great year, it ended strong. This is more of a continuum, I think. What that means to our team, I don't know."

Ultimately, there's at least one constant from last season: the excitement. The Panthers are thrilled to be back, thrilled to be getting started, thrilled to be, once again, playing hockey in June.

"You see how excited everyone is," Montour said. "Not as much time off [as last season], but guys have been ready, recovered, rested up, ready to go since we finished the last series. We'll be excited."