Game 7: Panthers to host Oilers with Stanley Cup on the line
Florida and Edmonton have each won three straight games during the series
Well, it all comes down to this.
Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
As John Candy so eloquently put it in “Rookie of the Year”:
“This is it folks, this is what it’s all about. One game. There is no tomorrow.”
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlVQhKj1k5g[/embed]
After jumping out to a 3-0 series lead, the Florida Panthers have dropped three straight games and now have one final opportunity to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.
Standing in their way are the Edmonton Oilers, a team flying high after outscoring the Cats 18-5 over the past three games, all Oilers wins.
None of that will matter when the puck hits the ice on Monday.
One game for the Stanley Cup.
“There’s this kind of clean slate because both teams have fought real hard to get to the very end,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice.
The Panthers are still a confident bunch and have a season full of accomplishments and examples of overcoming adversity to lean on.
Florida’s players, coaches and staff have a strong belief they can close out the series on home ice in front of a raucous Amerant Bank Arena crowd.
“Most teams, when you lose three in a playoff series, you don’t have a chance at another game,” said Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk. “Somehow both of us have an opportunity still. It’s very exciting, kind of leave it all out there desperation on both sides. It’s been a very even series, I feel like. It all comes down to this.”
On Sunday, Florida held its final full team practice of the season at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale.
It appears Maurice will be rolling with 19 of the same 20 players that he deployed for Game 6, with Kyle Okposo drawing back in, and perhaps a couple of additional tweaks.
Carter Verhaeghe was back skating on the top line with Sasha Barkov and Sam Reinahrt, swapping left wing spots with Evan Rodrigues, who slid to the Sam Bennett line with Matthew Tkachuk.
Additionally, Vladimir Tarasenko was seen taking reps on Florida’s top power play unit, joining Barkov, Reinhart, Tkachuk and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Here are Florida’s projected lines and pairings for Game 7 against Edmonton:
Carter Verhaeghe – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Vladimir Tarasenko
Ryan Lomberg – Kevin Stenlund – Kyle Okposo
Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
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