SUNRISE, Fla. – Take two.
The Florida Panthers will take another shot a securing their first-ever championship when they host the Edmonton Oilers for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday.
“It’s another opportunity, another brilliant chance,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “An opportunity to realize our dream. We’re excited and anxious to get it going.”
After taking a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, the Panthers missed out on their first opportunity to hoist Lord Stanley with an 8-1 loss in Game 4 at Rogers Place on Saturday.
Following a shorthanded goal from Mattias Janmark to break the ice just 3:11 into the first period, the Oilers rode the energy of their home crowd to a scoring explosion that featured three goals in both the first and second periods and then two more in the third to wrap it up.
Held to just three assists during the first three games of the series, Connor McDavid, who racked up 132 points during the regular season, led Edmonton with four points (one goal, three assists) in Game 4, which pushed his assist total to an NHL record 32 in the playoffs.
For the Panthers, Vladimir Tarasenko extended his goal-scoring streak to two games with the lone strike for Florida, while Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled from the game and given some extra time to start preparing for Game 5 after giving up the fifth goal to the Oilers.
Prior to that loss, the Panthers had surrendered just four goals in the first three games.
“I don’t think anyone’s dwelling too much on last game,” Ekblad said. “I think we’re learning from it. We’re an excited group and ready to go. It’s one game in the playoffs. That’s a fantastic team over there. We know what we’re up against. We’re putting ourselves in a situation where we’re excited and we’re confident and we’re ready to go.”
The good news for the Panthers is that they’ve been the bounce-back kings of the playoffs.
Following losses this postseason, they’ve gone 4-1 while outscoring the opposition 21-10.
And with an extra day off for travel purposes, they’re even more refreshed and ready to go.
“I think this two-day break was really good for us to reset, re-evaluate where we’re at right now and absolutely enjoy the position we’re in,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “Couldn’t have dreamed of a better spot at the beginning of the year, beginning of the playoffs, beginning of the series, whatever you want to say. A chance to do it at home tonight is special.”
After having their six-game winning streak snapped, the Panthers will be making one change to their lineup as Ryan Lomberg will slot in for Steven Lorentz on the fourth line.
Appearing in five games this postseason, Lomberg, known as the “Lomberghini” for his incredible motor on the ice, last suited up in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final.
As you’d expect, the speedy forward should provide a spark.
“Great, great energy that he brings to our room, but to give him credit, he also brought it when he wasn't in the lineup,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of Lomberg’s positive attitude. “The last change was made after a couple overtime losses where we shifted players in and out. Then we ripped off six [wins] in a row and I’m not looking for a change at that point. But he had a great week in that time. He understood it. … He was really good in practice and warmups pumping tires and making sure everybody feels good.”
As it has been all series, updates on Edmonton’s lineup will have to wait until warmups.
That being said, Stuart Skinner will surely be between the pipes again after piecing together his best performance of the series in Game 4. Making 32 saves, his biggest stop came in the first period when he robbed Carter Verhaeghe to keep the Oilers’ early 2-1 lead intact.
For the Panthers, Bobrovsky will get the nod.
Prior to Edmonton’s scoring outburst in Game 4, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner had been on an incredible run, going 11-3 with a .929 save percentage in his last 14 games.
Just like the Panthers, No. 72 is poised for a strong bounce back.
But in order to achieve their ultimate goal, the Panthers know it’ll be all about the team.
“The good part about us is that it’s not about one guy,” Tkachuk said. “It’s not about individuals here. We have a chance to capture the biggest goal in our life tonight, so we’re going to do that.”
PANTHERS PLAYOFF LEADERS
Goals: Verhaeghe (10)
Assists: Tkachuk (15)
Points: Barkov (21)
Hits: Bennett (76)
Blocks: Ekblad (43)
OILERS PLAYOFF LEADERS
Goals: Hyman (14)
Assists: McDavid (32)
Points: McDavid (38)
Hits: Holloway (74)
Blocks: Nurse (55)
THEY SAID IT
“Got a full gas tank, so I’m excited to let some of it go there.” – Ryan Lomberg
“We’re so excited with how the fans have turned out so far. We know they’re going to be cheering tonight.” – Aaron Ekblad
“(Ryan Lomberg’s) a vocal guy. Everyone sees what he’s doing on the ice. He’s electric. He’s fast. He’s physical. He brings that fun energy in the locker room and on the ice.” – Aleksander Barkov
“(Matthew Tkachuk’s) been good. You become desensitized possibly by (Connor) McDavid and (Leon) Draisaitl. We’ve got stars, too. It’s not going to be flashy every shift with this game.” – Paul Maurice
FIVE CATS STATS
- Vladimir Tarasenko enters tonight’s matchup on a three-game point streak.
- Sam Bennett leads all skaters this postseason with 76 hits.
- The Panthers own a +13-goal differential in the third period this postseason.
- The Panthers are 19-for-20 (95%) on the penalty kill over this last six games.
- Aleksander Barkov leads Florida with four game-winning goals this postseason.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Vladimir Tarasenko
Ryan Lomberg – Kevin Stenlund – Kyle Okposo
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- May 6: F Patrick Giles recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, June 18 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: ABC, ESPN+
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Channel 219 / App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
Tickets: Here
