from George Richards of Florida Hockey Now,
Throughout this postseason, the Florida Panthers appeared to be playing with house money. They will try and get back to their winning ways tonight against the host Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Florida is most certainly the heavy underdog coming into this game what with Vegas now just a win away from winning it all.
The Stanley Cup will be inside T-Mobile Arena tonight and it will be all shined up and ready to hand over to the Golden Knights if they are able to finish off the Panthers.
The stakes for Vegas — the 6-year-old hockey team, not the city — has never been higher.
The Panthers are not just happy to be here, but they are hungry to come home for another game. They want to keep this roller coaster ride of a season going.
Vegas can see the finish line but many times, that final hill before you reach the tape is the hardest to overcome.
The marathon of a season has now come down to a sprint.
The Panthers are beat up but do not appear to be beaten down.
They say they’re ready for the fight that is coming. Florida is going to have to empty whatever is left in its tank tonight.
Does anyone know when he got hurt? Was it the open ice hit that he took in game 3 (I think it was game 3?)?
in game 4 warmups, Sportsnet caught him skating with his left arm close to his body.
Probably a shoulder injury.
Yes. That is what is being reported
I fully expect Vegas to be very professional and business like, while FLA will look panicky and do some stupid shit. I think Vegas closes this out tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a 6-1 win.
Vegas will be too much for Florida. It ends tonight.
Oh, I don't know about that, Panthers may be about to unleash secret weapon! Elliotte Friedman@FriedgeHNIC Meanwhile, here in Vegasone of the big storylines will be Matthew Tkachuks health. After gutting through Game 4, whats his status for tonight? Both Grigori Denisenko and Givani Smith were practising pretty hard yesterday" There you have it. Giovani to the rescue!
from Dan Rosen of NHL.com,
Here are 3 keys to Game 5:
1. Handle the moment
The Golden Knights can rely on some of their experience in order to abide by everything they say they need to do to win the Cup in Game 5, such as stick to the game plan, stay even-keeled, manage their emotions, and not look ahead.
Alex Pietrangelo and Ivan Barbashev won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, defeating the Boston Bruins, coached by Cassidy, in Game 7 to do it. Chandler Stephenson won the Cup here with the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of the 2018 Final. Alec Martinez and Jonathan Quick won it in 2012 and 2014 with the Los Angeles Kings.
Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, William Carrier, William Karlsson, Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore were on the losing end for Vegas in 2018.
"At the puck drop your mind is where it's supposed to be, not on all the other things that go along with it," Cassidy said. "Sometimes that's maturity. I like that about their group. They've been there. Some of them missed once, a number have gotten it, and there's a small group of guys it's their first time. The first time guys may be a little more anxious or nervous, so we'll have to make sure we're communicating with them and making sure they're in the good place, but that's what the older guys in the room have done all year."
2. Put the pressure on early
One way to put the pressure on the Golden Knights is for the Panthers to get off to a good start.
Scoring the first goal would be a bonus, but being in attack mode from the start, putting the puck in behind the Golden Knights' defensemen, and forechecking aggressively would allow the Panthers to get into their game and shake any nerves quickly.
It may force also force Vegas into taking penalties. Florida had one power play in Game 4 and is 0-for-13 with the man-advantage in the series.
"Hopefully we can spend a little bit more time in their end and create other Grade A chances or some power plays for us," Panthers forward Eric Staal said. "I think it's a game where the pace has got to be high. You've got to move the puck quick, you've got to make great plays with execution. If we do that, we'll put ourselves in position to get ahead of it and go from there."
3. Climb the Hill one more time
Adin Hill has delivered for the Golden Knights since he took over as their No. 1 goalie midway through the first period of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Second Round.
He is 10-4-0 with a 2.11 goals-against average, .934 save percentage and two shutouts in 15 games (13 starts) in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including 3-1 with a 2.21 GAA and .925 save percentage against the Panthers.
If he delivers in the clutch one more time, the Golden Knights could win the Stanley Cup.
"If you can't buy into [Tuesday's] game, it's pretty tough to buy into any game," Hill said. "It's sticking to our game plan, sticking to what has made us successful all season. I feel if we do that we'll win."
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I see that Tkachuk and Gudas missed practice today due to bad injuries. I can't imagine them missing this game. As much as I can't stand either of them, I see them playing through some pretty bad injuries in a game like this.
They're gonna play. They will not miss the chance to continue playing in the Cup Finals.
Go Vegas...only because I can't wait to see how Vegas celebrates a major sports championship.
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