Panthers vs. Oilers, Game 4: Championship Glory at Stake Tonight

EDMONTON — With a 3-0 series lead and the Stanley Cup present for Game 4 of the Final, the Florida Panthers are striving to maintain a normal routine.

“Obviously, it’s hard not to feel a little different,” said Carter Verhaeghe. “We know what’s at stake. It’s a big game for us, but we try to take it one game at a time. Honestly, if you try to do anything special, it doesn’t really work out. Taking it one game at a time is the biggest thing for us.”

Added Anton Lundell: “Great feeling, for sure. But we don’t want to think too far ahead. We want to play the game first, and it takes a full 60 minutes. We want to have a great game because we know they’re gonna give everything they have, so we want to be prepared for that.”

The Panthers have a solid track record in recent closeout games, with a 6-2 record in their last eight, showing dominance by sticking to their successful formula and mentality. However, concerns linger from their two closeout losses earlier in this year’s playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins, where they abandoned their defensive style in favor of aggressive offense, allowing the opposition to capitalize on strong first periods.

To secure the series tonight, the Panthers need patience.

“There are two things that come to mind,” said coach Paul Maurice. “One is how we looked in the two games we didn’t win. There’s a theme of wanting something so badly that you try to make it happen before it should. Just don’t try to break the game open.

“The other is that we’ve played our best hockey of the year in third periods under pressure. That’s when we’ve been at our best, and we will try to tap into that tonight.”

2024 STANLEY CUP FINAL
EDMONTON OILERS VS. FLORIDA PANTHERS
GAME 4
Panthers Lead Best of 7 Series 3-0
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.
Where: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta
National TV: ABC
Streaming: ESPN+Hulu