EDMONTON, Alberta – Matthew Tkachuk, a key figure for the Florida Panthers, describes the atmosphere his team is facing in Edmonton for the Stanley Cup Final. For Tkachuk, they are not just facing the Edmonton Oilers, but the entire city.
It’s us against the over 20 players, the 20,000 who are in the stadium and the 20,000 who are outside. It’s just us against everyone.
Matthew Tkachuk
Tkachuk’s Panthers are down 1-0 in the series after Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime loss in Edmonton. This was only the Panthers’ third road loss in 11 playoff games, having started each of their previous three series outside of Florida.
We’ve said it many times. It’s that ‘us against the world’ mentality, but you especially feel it when you’re down in a series. Your back isn’t necessarily against the wall, but you treat it like a crucial game in a hostile environment. I feel like that’s when we’re at our best. So, hopefully, we can use that to our advantage.
Matthew Tkachuk
This rematch of the Stanley Cup Final already feels different from last season’s, in which the Panthers built a 3-0 lead. Although the current champions believe they have improved since last season, Tkachuk pointed out that this is a different Oilers team than the one the Panthers defeated in seven games.
A concern for the Panthers after Game 1 was how they squandered a two-goal lead against the Oilers, who tied the score in the third period before Leon Draisaitl scored the overtime winner. Florida had a 31-0 record under coach Paul Maurice in the playoffs when leading after the first or second period.I think everyone saw last night, including us, that they are a very, very, very good team. They have dangerous players. Even when their best players are together, they have other lines that can play. That hasn’t always been the case there. They defend hard, block shots, their goalie is playing well. They are better. We are better. I think it’s going to be a great series.
Matthew Tkachuk
We reviewed some videos and saw the things we can do better in the neutral zone. Maybe a little more time in the offensive zone. But they played a good game. They were solid defensively. They blocked a lot of shots. We knew there wasn’t much space, not many plays to make. So when we have those opportunities, we have to try to hold onto the puck and capitalize.
Seth Jones
Tkachuk mentioned that the Panthers could be more consistent in their forecheck and win more time in the zone to avoid the Oilers’ counterattacks.
Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night in Edmonton. The winner of Game 1 in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final has won the series 76% of the time. The winner of Game 1 has won 10 of the last 13 Stanley Cup Final series, including the last four.We did some really good things that we’ll have to do for longer stretches tomorrow. They definitely finished better than us in the game and probably earned that win. They dictated the game more than us. It is what it is. Back to the drawing board. Just trying to play better than them tomorrow.
Matthew Tkachuk
