The Florida Panthers have had their world turned upside down. Florida started the Stanley Cup Final with a three-game win streak, putting them one win away from victory. However, they allowed Edmonton to win three games in a row, securing a massive Game 7. Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk knows the stakes of Game 7.
Tkachuk recently spoke with the media head of the pivotal game. He didn't mince words when describing its significance.
“This is probably the biggest game in the NHL in who knows how many years,” Tkachuk said, per AP's Tim Reynolds. Tkachuk also said that he expects the noise level from fans to be off the charts in Game 7. The Panthers could seriously benefit from some home ice advantage.
It is almost impossible to overstate the important of Game 7 for both sides, but more so for the Florida Panthers. They have gone from being one win away from the greatest moment in their franchise's history. Instead, they now face the prospect of putting up one of the biggest chokes in professional sports history with a loss. The stakes simply could not be higher.
But the Florida Panthers are up for the challenge.
“We have one game to go,” Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov told ESPN. “We were ready right from the start to play a seven-game series, and nothing changes now. We got up three, and they played three good games. Now it's up to us to win at home.”
Previewing Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final: which team will make NHL history?
NHL fans cannot wait for Monday night.
Both teams will leave it all out on the ice in a game that will decide the winner of the Stanley Cup.
The Florida Panthers will need strong performances from Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk if they want to overcome the Oilers. They could also use a strong performance from Sergei Bobrovsky, whose dominance helped them seal the first three games of the series.
Meanwhile, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch wants to get off to a hot start in Game 7. He believes will make it much easier for them to bring home the Stanley Cup.
“Anytime you score first, one, it calms a lot of jitters,” Knoblauch said prior to the team’s departure Saturday, per Gerry Moddejonge of NHL.com. “It also forces the opposition to open things up a little bit more and maybe not play with as much defensive structure as they would like, because they’re trying to get back in the game and forcing to score that next goal.”
Knoblauch added that alleviating pressure is one of the biggest benefits of getting an early lead.
“So it kind of alleviates a little bit of pressure on your team,” Knoblauch said. “But I don’t know what the records are when one team scores first as opposed to the other, but it just definitely allows you to play your game.”
Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final takes place on Monday June 24th in Florida. The puck drops at 8PM ET.
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