The Florida Panthers find themselves with their backs against the wall against the Vegas Golden Knights. Florida imploded again as six Panthers were kicked from Game 2 early in a 7-2 loss.
The Golden Knights have completely outplayed the Panthers in the first two games of this series. Vegas is outscoring their Stanley Cup Final opponent 12-4 as Florida has had no answers thus far.
Many are beginning to count the Panthers out of this series. However, the players themselves remain defiant. Namely, Anton Lundell, who reminded everyone of the last time this team had a rough start to a series.
“It’s never over. We saw that against Boston. We still believe. We’re down 2, but it’s not over,” Lundell told a group of reporters after Game 2. “We want to rest, recover and be ready to go on home ice. We’ll get a lot of energy from our home fans.”
The Panthers began the series against the Boston Bruins down 3-1. Florida got a gift from the Bruins in Game 5 before rattling off wins in Games 6 and 7 to complete the first-round comeback.
After that, the Panthers went on a heater. Florida eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games in round two. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Panthers swept aside the Carolina Hurricanes.
Now, Florida finds itself in a hole they desperately need to dig out of. Their first chance to dig out of that hole comes on Thursday for Game 3 in Sunrise, Florida. Let's see if playing in front of their home fans for the first time in the series can help turn the tide for the Panthers.