The Florida Panthers are entering Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers with a chance to close out the 2024-25 NHL season. Most importantly, Aleksander Barkov faces a shot at hoisting his second Cup in as many years. Thus, he sent a clear message for Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, and the rest of the team to listen carefully to.
The Stanley Cup Final between the Panthers and Oilers has been a grueling series, so far. After five games, Barkov and the Cats are hoping to close it out with a victory at Amerant Bank Arena in Game 6. However, that is way easier said than done.
The Panthers cannot help but feel déjà vu with last year’s Final. Though it’s a Game 6 this time around, the Cats are playing at home against the Oilers with a chance to be crowned the best team in the NHL. Not only that, but they are closer than ever from back-to-back Stanley Cups.
The Stanley Cup will be in the building with only two possible destinations: it will either fly to Edmonton for a potential Game 7, or embark on an all-night journey through the streets of Fort Lauderdale. Most likely, it’ll end up at the Elbo Room under Matthew Tkachuk’s supervision—before taking a dip in the Atlantic Ocean.
However, for that to happen, the Panthers must take care of business. Barkov made sure to remind Tkachuk, Marchand, and the rest of the team of that with a brief statement.
“The most important thing is stick with your game,” Barkov stated during his media availability on Monday. “You don’t need to change anything. You just need to be as good as possible. That’s been our mindset the whole playoffs.”
Hungry for more
The Panthers cannot stress enough just how difficult the last win of any series is. Everybody on the team has preached that message throughout the entire postseason, and it won’t be no different this time around.
To top it off, the Cats now stand in front of McDavid and the Oilers, who are starving to add on to the franchise’s five Stanley Cups. However, Tkachuk has little worries on that regard: the Panthers want the Cup just as much—if not more.
“It’s going to be a tough test. [McDavid’s] desperate to win a Cup. So are we,” Tkachuk told media during his press conference on Monday. “We’ve gone through so many ups-and-downs. It’s been a grueling year. We worked so hard for this. So has him and the rest of the Oilers.”
No tomorrow
While the Panthers have a slight margin for error as they hold a 3-2 series lead, they cannot be bothered to fly back to Alberta. In order to avoid a winner-takes-all Game 7 in enemy territory, Tkachuk has a simple solution.
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“We have to treat this like a Game 7,” Tkachuk said about the upcoming Game 6 at Amerant Bank Arena, per Jameson Olive. That’s the message within the Panthers. They are walking through the front door determined to deliver the knockout punch and wrap up the 2024-25 NHL season.