The Florida Panthers trail the Edmonton Oilers 1-0 in the Stanley Cup Final after a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 1. Matthew Tkachuk believes his team is facing an uphill battle against not only their opponents but also the 20,000-strong crowd at Rogers Place.
“It’s us against everybody,” Tkachuk said, referring to the large opposition and the hostile environment. “That’s what makes playing on the road so fun and rewarding when you can get a win.”
Tkachuk noted that this series is different from last season’s, where the Panthers built a 3-0 lead. This time, they’re facing a much improved Oilers team with dangerous players. Tkachuk praised the Oilers’ defense, saying “They defend hard, block shots, their goalie’s playing well. They’re better.”
Seth Jones expressed concern about his team’s performance in the neutral zone and their inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities. The Panthers had previously gone 31-0 under head coach Paul Maurice in the playoffs when leading after the first period or second period.
Tkachuk acknowledged that his team needs to improve their forecheck consistency and earn more zone time to counterattack against the Oilers’ strong defense. The series is scheduled to continue on Friday night, with the winner of Game 1 having a significant advantage, winning 76% of the best-of-seven series and 10 of the past 13 Stanley Cup Final series.
Source: https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/45460546/panthers-ready-key-road-g2-us-world-mentality