'It's not a problem': Panthers head back to Toronto unfazed by Game 4 loss

Florida has gone 5-1 on the road so far during the playoffs

The Florida Panthers wanted to wrap up their second-round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

A four-game sweep would’ve given them extra time to rest and recover ahead of the next round, and it would’ve eliminated an extremely good team in Toronto.

Instead, the Panthers boarded a plane Thursday afternoon bound for the great white north.

The road has been a familiar place for the Cats during the playoffs.

They have spent lot of time together in hotels, on team buses and having group meals.

“The good thing is we like each other, so it’s not a problem,” Panthers captain Sasha Barkov said with a smile.

It’s also good that Florida has seen a good amount of success when playing away from home so far during the postseason.

After dropping Game 1 against Boston during the first round, the Panthers have won five straight road games.

Considering Florida entered the playoffs as the eight-seed and as such, will start every series on the road, they sure picked a great time to get hot when away from Sunrise.

“I think mindset goes a long way in playoffs,” said Panthers center Eric Staal. “I think you have to have the right attitude, game in and game out.”

One of the key attributes of Florida’s postseason run has been the calm and relaxed nature of the team.

Whether ahead or behind in a game or a series, the Cats’ collective demeanor doesn’t change.

Just look at their head coach.

After Game 4, Florida’s first loss in two weeks, Paul Maurice met with the media and was the most laid back guy in the room.

He made a reference to the Will Ferrell movie “Semi-Pro” before cracking a joke about the mood of those who were asking questions.

“Keep (the questions) coming, just try to hide your glee,” Maurice said before bursting into a laugh a moment later. “I’m f-ing with you. Come on, f-ing relax, for f-s sake. You guys look like the coach’s office.”

Message received, loud and clear.

Don’t expect a hard-working, 2-1 loss to one of the top teams in the league to discourage the chill Cats.

Florida still leads the best-of-7 series three-games-to-one against a team that finished with 111 points during the regular season.

“They’re a good team, nobody said it was going to be easy,” said Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

It’s often said that the fourth victory is always the hardest to claim in a playoff series.

Perhaps the Panthers got a taste of that medicine on Wednesday.

They were on the other side of that lesson during the first round, surviving three elimination games, including two on the road, against the top-seed Bruins.

At this time of the year, though, home or away shouldn’t make a big difference.

As several players have repeated, it often comes down to the simple measuring stick of which team wants it more.

Right now, the Panthers are a loose, confident group that feels they can beat anybody when on top of their game.

Many players, like Florida’s lead-by-example captain, have a full understanding and appreciation for the position they’ve put themselves in.

“It's awesome. We're living the best time of our lives right now,” said Barkov. “This is why we play hockey; we want to be in the playoffs, and we want to go as far as possible with this group of guys. Nothing's better than that.”