As the series is tied to 1-1, the Stanley Cup final shifts to sunrise in games 3 and 4.
If you drop the pack at 8pm on Monday, the cat aims to take advantage of the ice in the house.
“It feels good,” defender Aaron Eckbrad said he was back in Florida and in front of the team’s own wild crowd. “Our fans are bustling with homes and we love it. It’s really exciting.”
The Panthers, a familiar territory, rounded out a series that fought a 2-1 victory in the thrilling Game 7, before facing home Oilers 3-1 in last year’s Cup final.
What is the key to success at sunrise?
The familiar pillows and over 19,000 roaring fans will not be hurt.
“I’m in my own bed and a lovely home cooking meal,” forward Sam Reinhart said of the additional benefits of being at home. “If the pack falls, I might use a little crowd, but for a bit of extra energy.”
Reaping the benefits of some home cooking, the Panthers are playing sunrise this postseason with 12 different players ringing goal horns and 17 different point earners.
Above the leaderboard, Captain Alexander Barkov ranked first in the team with six points (3 goals, 3 assists), with both Evan Rodriguez (5 assists) and Matthew Kachuk (4 assists) scoring five points.
On the net, Sergei Bobrovsky won “Bobby” chants for all the playoffs.
In the final six games between the pipes of Amerant Bank Arena, the veteran goaltender boasts a 4-2 record, .923 save percentage, 1.78 goals – average, one shutout.
The Oilers, who dropped their first two road games against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the Western Conference, went 6-1 while opposing the arena.
As the action progresses in Game 3, the Panthers know that they need to be ready to absorb a strong push from the out-of-town Oilers when they try to start with a big statement.
Of course, the defending champions are ready to hold back the fort.
“We’ll take some assaults,” coach Paul Maurice said of the Panthers’ perseverance during a tough fight. “We take hits, hits. People have a general and pretty strong idea about the games we play. They play the same game when they play us. For those who play on both teams, you get used to it.”
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