After all, it's a best-of-seven series.
And even if the odds are stacked against them, the series isn't over until it's over.
"Essentially, we've got three Game 7's coming up," defenseman Josh Mahura said when asked about the team's uphill climb. "We're just going to focus on Game 5 right now. I think the most important thing is just getting on the plane tomorrow, getting in and just going one game at a time. It's not the easiest situation to be in, but we're not out of it. It's the first team to four [wins]."
It's that sort of mindset that has helped other teams mount epic comebacks in the past.
Out of the major sports with seven-game playoff series, the NHL is by far the most open to having teams pull off the improbable. Since 2010, a team in the NHL has battled back from a 3-1 or 3-0 deficit to win a series 10 different times, with the latest being the Rangers coming back to stun the Penguins in the first round last season.
In that same timeframe, that's only happened five times in the NBA and three times in the MLB.
"There's a certain freedom and focus that comes to elimination games or those games that you absolutely have to win," head coach Paul Maurice said. "You push as hard as you possible can. There's all the cliches. There is no tomorrow. That helps you build your mindset going to the rink, especially when you've invested as much as this group has to get [to the postseason]."
In order to get back on track in the series, the Panthers have to get back to their game.
After fighting tooth and claw to just get into the playoffs -- including going 6-1-1 to finish out the regular season -- the Panthers know they have what it takes to come out on top, even against an historically-strong Bruins squad that set NHL records for wins (65) and points (135) in 2022-23.
They know they need to stay out of the penalty box, they know they need to convert more of their opportunities on the power play, and they know they can't afford to fall behind early.
But more than anything, they just need to be themselves.
"Just try and do the things that made us successful this year," Mahura said when asked about the keys to Game 5. "We know that we can put the puck in the net and play a little more our style of hockey. That will give ourselves the best chance, just try not to [get away] from it.
"Sometimes it's easy when you're down a goal or two to get away from what's made you successful throughout the year. But when we've stuck to it and done the things at have made us good, we've shown that we can get the puck to the net and get some good scoring chances."
It's going to take three straight wins to win the series, but just one win to get back to Sunrise.
If the Panthers can steal Game 5 in Boston on Wednesday, the series will be far from over.
"We know it's a must-win situation," forward Sam Bennett said. "It's a chance where we can give it everything we've got. You don't hold back. You don't' save anything. You do everything you can to make sure we come out of there with a win."
