One win away from a championship, it feels like the Florida Panthers are treating Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final like Game 44 of the regular season.
“Our whole mindset right now is recovering and getting prepared for the next game,” forward Sam Bennett said after beating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 to move to the verge of a sweep. “I don’t think anyone can really look ahead.”
With coach Paul Maurice and captain Aleksander Barkov setting the tone, the Panthers are looking ahead only to Game 4 on the road Saturday night as the next challenge in their season-long journey. They can bring home the Cup for the first time in franchise history but are approaching the opportunity in the same businesslike manner they’ve had all playoffs.
“We’ve done such a good job of having that one-game, simple mindset: Win your first period, win your first few shifts,” winger Matthew Tkachuk said Friday. “Just a really calm, kind of chill and relaxed group today. Use that to our advantage.”
One major advantage is being in the final for a second consecutive time, though this series is the opposite for Florida after injuries piled up and the gas ran out last year against Vegas. The core group also knows what it’s like to be facing elimination this late in the playoffs, seeing the Golden Knights close it out in their first chance in 2023.
Maurice does not believe finishing any series, especially the final, is not about killer instinct, but he wants the Panthers to acknowledge it’s an elimination game and a situation most of his players and staff have never been in before.
“We go back to what we know,” Maurice said. “There’s nothing new to what we’re going to do. The puck’s going to drop, it’s going to be the exact same sport, so there’s nothing new here. The context is different.”