SUNRISE, Fla. — Brad Marchand wanted no part of the conversation.
He and the Florida Panthers lead the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals. Florida is on the brink of reaching the Stanley Cup Final; it would be the Panthers’ third straight appearance in that round and Marchand’s first time in the title round since 2019.
Talk of getting there, however, can wait.
“You don’t think about that,” Marchand said when asked what a Cup final trip would mean. “We’re prepared to go seven (games) here and I think the biggest thing for this group is we’re really good at just focusing on what we need to do and staying in the moment and not looking ahead. You can’t start looking ahead.”
Perhaps they can’t, but others can. The Prince of Wales Trophy — given to the Eastern Conference champions — will be in Florida’s building tonight, when the Panthers will get their first chance at eliminating the Hurricanes and clinching yet another East title.
“We’re playing for our season,” Carolina forward Taylor Hall said.
Elsewhere:
n Zach Hyman had two goals and an assist, Connor McDavid added two goals and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Dallas Stars 6-1 on Sunday, taking a 2-1 lead in their Western final series.
