After bowing out of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final in five games, it looks like the Florida Panthers have learned their lesson and then some. The Cats outlasted the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of this year's iteration of the championship series, and are now just a win away from capturing the franchise's first title.
But captain Sasha Barkov, who has been an absolute force in the postseason and has a great case for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, knows there's still a long way to go.
“We know it's going to be the hardest game for sure,” the superstar said regarding Game 4 on Saturday night, per the Associated Press. “We don't take anything for granted. Every single day is one day at a time. Whether it's one period, one shift, we take it one at a time. That's how we've been all year.”
“They are a very skillful offensive team,” echoed star netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, who made 32 saves in Game 3. “They're going to make plays. You just focus on each and every one, and it's a fun challenge. It's a fun challenge to play against them because they bring the best.”
Barkov scored the game-winning goal on Thursday night while adding a helper in the 4-3 triumph. He was again instrumental to success, and so was Bobrovsky, who again looked like a brick wall. The Russian netminder made a few timely robberies down the stretch.
If the Panthers can find a way to lift Lord Stanley, whether in Game 4 or potentially back on home ice early next week, one of Barkov or Bobrovsky are sure to capture Most Valuable Player distinctions. But neither of those players will care too much about who gets MVP — they just want to win.
Panthers are so close they can taste it
The Panthers are oh-so-close to doing what their interstate neighbor Tampa Bay Lightning have accomplished twice in the 2020s: win the Stanley Cup. After coming out of the Eastern Conference for the second straight year, it's looking like last year's failure will be rectified right around 365 days later.
Only one team has come back from down 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final, and it likely happened long before anyone reading this was born. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs were down 3-0 to the Detroit Red Wings before completing the reverse sweep; it's the first time in history a SCF ever went to seven games.
There hasn't been a comeback of the like since, and it's hard to believe that that is going to change in 2024. The Panthers are now 5-0 in 2023-24 against the Western Conference champions, and Edmonton capturing four straight would take nothing short of a miracle.
“Just from the start, our compete and our will and the want to win this one was huge,” said Sam Bennett, who scored Florida's third goal on Thursday. “Everyone down to our goalie were battling their butts off. It was nice to see the effort. You either have it, or you don't. We have 23 dogs on our team that have that will. You either have it, or you don't.”
The Panthers would not be denied in Game 3, and the Stanley Cup will be in the building as they look to finally silence the Oilers and bring a maiden championship to Sunrise.
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