Evan Rodrigues acknowledged the energy that he felt going into Game 4 was different. The Oilers’ energy was also, because the Cup was in the building for only the Panthers to win.
“They just came out desperate and we weren’t ready to match it,” Rodrigues said.
Edmonton’s desperation also won’t change. How the Panthers manage it could.
“The nerves are a little bit less now,” forward Carter Verhaeghe said. “We can’t change what got us here. We’ve been playing this way all year. We’ve gone through a lot of adversity, ups and downs, and that’s what happens in the playoffs. That’s playoff hockey. Yeah, it’s a little different with the Cup in the building. But I think we’re not really focused on that. We’re focused on trying to play as well as we can and giving ourselves the best chance.”
To that extent, the Panthers know they have to do a better job of limiting Edmonton’s chances off the rush.
Seven of the Oilers’ eight goals in Game 4 came off the rush. The other was scored during a 5-on-3 power play.
“They were focusing on it,” Verhaeghe said. “That’s a lot of their game. They have a lot of speed through the middle and they make plays through the neutral zone. They’re here for a reason too. They’re really good at it, making plays with so much speed. They play to their strengths and that’s what they did last game.”
To counter it, defenseman Gustav Forsling said the Panthers have to be better with their gaps, which he said they were in Games 1, 2 and 3.
“I feel like we let them off the hook a little bit in the fourth game,” Forsling said. “We didn’t play as tight as we wanted as a team, and it starts with me and all the defensemen with a tight gap. I think that’s what we want to improve.”
There’s no doubt goalie Sergei Bobrovsky wants to be better than he was in Game 4. He allowed five goals on 16 shots and was replaced by Anthony Stolarz with 15:01 remaining in the second period.
Nobody on the Panthers is blaming Bobrovsky for how the game unfolded. Maurice said a benefit to the big loss is the goalie got 35 minutes of rest. But Bobrovsky’s ability to bounce back will make all the difference for the Panthers.
“It’s a new game,” Bobrovsky said. “It’s a 0-0 score and I’m getting ready for the next shot.”
He’s done that well in the playoffs, especially in the rare times a team has put up a crooked number against him and the Panthers.
Florida lost by three or more goals twice before the Cup Final: 6-3 in Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference First Round, and 5-1 against the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the second round.
They won the next game 6-1 both times.
Game 5 against the Lightning was an elimination game. They had a 3-0 lead in that series too.
“The last two years we played in eight rounds of the playoffs so that’s a lot of hockey, a lot of playoff hockey,” Verhaeghe said. “We know what to expect and what to expect from ourselves. Experience is definitely something we can draw from.”
That now includes the new experience of playing with the Stanley Cup in the building and knowing they’re the only team that can win it.
“It’s not something you can truly appreciate until you go through it,” Maurice said.
