(Edmonton) There was much discussion during the Florida Panthers’ lunch after a crushing 8-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Despite the disappointing final result when they had their first opportunity to win the big honors, the Panthers players reminded that they still lead the series 3-1 and that they will now have an opportunity to lift the Stanley Cup in front of their supporters.
“It’s up to us to handle defeats well,” said captain Aleksander Barkov. It only counts as a victory for them. The result doesn’t matter, whether it’s 2-1 or 8-1. Of course we want to make amends. »
This next game will take place Tuesday night at Sunrise. The Panthers hope to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history, in their 30th season.
To get there, they will have to make some adjustments after Sergei Bobrovsky was chased out of his net. The Russian allowed five goals on 16 shots as the Oilers dominated all facets of the game. They scored shorthanded, at five-on-three and six more times at even strength.
“We allowed eight goals and none of them were our goalie’s fault,” insisted Matthew Tkachuk. We must learn from this. »
Barkov believes the Panthers have learned how good the Oilers are when they are at the top of their game.
“The theme of yesterday’s game [Saturday] was the fact that they hurt us entering the zone,” said head coach Paul Maurice before the flight back to Florida. We didn’t manage one-on-ones well and our coverage was ineffective. But they played well. They were fast. We must do better. »
The Oilers expect to see the Panthers show a different face in Game 5.
“They’ll be a lot better prepared,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, who added that the arrival of Panthers’ relatives in Alberta for Game 4 may have been a distraction.
“They’re going to want to bounce back,” he added. They will be better. What that means exactly, I don’t know. I think we understand what their identity is, but it’s not something we control. »
The Panthers will have to control their emotions. Maurice acknowledged after Game 4 that the excitement of being one win away from the championship may have negatively affected his team.
Barkov did not want to use this excuse.
It will be again Tuesday evening, when the Panthers will want to find the same quality of play that allowed them to win the first three games of the series.
“We are in an incredible position right now,” Tkachuk recalled. We need to execute our game plan well in Game 5 and hopefully that will help us win at home. »
