Media day took place Friday afternoon inside T-Mobile Arena
The Florida Panthers flew to Las Vegas on Thursday, eight days after completing a four-game sweep over Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final.
On Friday, the eve of the Stanley Cup Final, both the Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights took part in media day.
It was a whirlwind kind of event, with players speaking inside the lobby of T-Mobile Arena simultaneously at a plethora of media pods.
While a bit of a spectacle, media day acts as a bit of an end to the pre-Final frenzy that both teams have to endure.
Once the games begin, players are able to zero in on the task at hand and focus on winning four times before their opponent does.
Several Panthers players spoke to the media on Friday, and here are some highlights of what was said:
Nick Cousins on finally getting to Game 1: “Just speaking for majority of the boys, I think everyone's excited to get going. I think it's been a long layoff, but the guys are rested, recharged and we’re ready to go.”
Sam Reinhart on the Panthers building momentum and finding belief in themselves: “You look back to January and the hard schedule we had that month. We were so far out (of the playoffs) and it was a pivotal point in us turning it around. We’ve been playing playoff hockey for the last little bit. Then you play a team in Boston, and even though Game 1 was a loss, it gave us the confidence that we can beat them, and if you can beat them, you can rally beat anyone. We just stuck to our game and as you see the results, you gain confidence in yourself and the guys in the locker room.”
Zac Dalpe on embracing Paul Maurice’s systems: “It's easy style to play because we’re a hard-working group. It seems like we all get it, and we all are gelling at the right time. It's what got us here.”
Ryan Lomberg on starting the series in Vegas: “I think on the road, teams resort to almost playing a more simple game, so I think, especially with the time off we've had, I think that's going to play right into our wheelhouse.”
Anton Lundell on watching the Stanley Cup Final while growing up in Finland: “I remember waking up with my brother, we went quiet downstairs to watch some playoff hockey. I remember I always wanted to see the big games, the Stanley Cup Final games, and I remember the years the Chicago Blackhawks won, and also the years the Pittsburgh Penguins won. I still remember how excited I was, even if I had to wake up at 3 a.m. to watch the games.”
Eetu Luostarinen on how he’s feeling heading into the Final: “We've had some really good progress this far. It's Stanley Cup Final so we're really doing everything we can. I'm feeling pretty good right now.”
Carter Verhaeghe on Florida’s mindset as the playoffs have progressed: “You learn a lot about yourself and your team, and what you need to do. We just went in with the mentality to win one game. We keep winning one game and I think that’s what we’ve carried on. We’re just trying to win one at a time.”