Edmonton – The Florida Panthers should have been broken.
They returned to Sunrise, Florida, headed for Game 3 on Monday in Game 3, just 18 seconds after Friday’s 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers and 18 seconds after tying the last seven Stanley Cup final 1-1, 1-1, and headed for Game 3 on Monday (Max, Trutv, Tnt, SN, TVA, CBC).
The Oilers then stomped Corey Perry into their dreams and scored a goal tied at 19:42 in the third term, sending the game into overtime 4-4.
How did the Panthers react to that painful heartbreak when they gathered inside their dressing room to reorganize before the start of the extra time?
“It was probably the opposite of what I thought was going on in the locker room,” said Florida forward Matthew Tokachuk. “We chose people who were cheerful, joking and thought they would score.
“We had fun.”
Of course that was the case.
Because that’s what these Panthers do.
That’s who these Panthers are.
Likes to laugh at adversity, they are one of the signature trademarks of this Paul Maurice coached team, a trait that helped him win the Stanley Cup a year ago.
And that night, most teams would have been devastated by blowing such a slow lead off on a big stage, they rocked it and reloaded it almost as always.
