On cusp of Cup, Tkachuk to play like it's Game 7

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers person a accidental to triumph their 2nd consecutive Stanley Cup if they decision the Edmonton Oilers successful Game 6 connected Tuesday night. But closing retired opponents successful elimination games has been 1 of their fewer postseason flaws implicit the past 2 years.

"There's nary concealed that the Cup's successful the building. It's going to beryllium the toughest test, biggest game," said winger Matthew Tkachuk, whose Panthers clasp a 3-2 bid pb implicit the Oilers. "We person to dainty this arsenic a Game 7."

The Panthers infamously squandered 3 chances to destruct the Oilers successful past year's Stanley Cup Final earlier winning the Cup successful Game 7. This postseason, Florida was unopen retired successful losses successful Game 6 against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes with a accidental to adjacent retired each bid earlier advancing with a triumph successful the pursuing game.

Under manager Paul Maurice (since 2023 playoffs), the Panthers are 10-8 successful imaginable series-clinching games.

"We figured retired a mode to extremity those series. You enactment yourself successful a presumption to destruct the different team, but it's not guaranteed due to the fact that the different squad is beauteous darn good," said Maurice. "So there's thing wherever you say, 'OK, present we've figured it out.' Because if you figured that out, adjacent twelvemonth you triumph 16 straight, right? Doesn't enactment similar that."

The Panthers said their acquisition successful these situations volition beryllium an plus connected Tuesday night.

"We played 1 Game 7, truthful possibly we person a tiny vantage with knowing the desperation that they're going to travel retired with," said Tkachuk. "We person to lucifer that desperation."

Winger Evan Rodrigues said the Panthers volition beryllium capable to attack this crippled with much affectional equilibrium than successful past year's Stanley Cup Final.

"Just instrumentality to our game. Not effort to marque the infinitesimal bigger than what it is," helium said. "It's conscionable different hockey game. You conscionable got to bash what's made you palmy successful the past. Just enactment successful the infinitesimal and bash your job."

Florida took a 3-2 bid pb with a 5-2 triumph successful Edmonton connected Saturday night, connected the spot of 2 Brad Marchand goals and a suffocating antiaircraft effort. Once again, the Panthers were propelled by their beardown start: They've outscored the Oilers 11-4 successful the archetypal period, including 7-0 successful the archetypal play implicit the past 3 games.

But Maurice said scoring archetypal doesn't warrant anything.

"I deliberation it's been a large challenge, actually. We've had leads successful games and we've had them evaporate. They're built to attack," said Maurice. "When they're down a extremity oregon two, they're incredibly hard to grip and it's successful the benignant of crippled they're very, precise bully astatine [playing]."

Tkachuk said the Panthers cognize closing retired the Oilers successful Game 6 volition beryllium a situation -- particularly with prima halfway Connor McDavid trying to debar a 2nd consecutive Stanley Cup Final elimination astatine the hands of Florida.

"He's hopeless to triumph the Cup. So are we. But he's evidently a endowment similar cipher other successful the league. It's truthful hard to unopen him down. I don't deliberation you tin unopen him down. You tin conscionable effort to bounds arsenic overmuch arsenic you can," said Tkachuk of McDavid, who has 1 extremity and 5 assists successful the series. "They're evidently 1 of the best, if not the best, squad that I've played successful my vocation and successful the playoffs. So I'm definite [Game 6] going to beryllium a precise pugnacious one."