'It all comes down to this': Florida Panthers. Edmonton Oilers. Stanley Cup Final Game 7
Published in Hockey
The season rides on one game.
The Florida Panthers. The Edmonton Oilers. Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Puck drop for the final game of the NHL season — just the 18th Game 7 in Stanley Cup Final history — is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET from Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena.
For Florida, it’s a chance to seal the first championship in franchise history. For Edmonton, it’s a chance to be just the second team in NHL history and first since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to win the Cup after falling behind 3-0.
“Both of us have an opportunity still,” star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. “Leave it all out there. Desperation on both sides.
“It all comes down to this.”
Now, the Panthers would have liked to not be in this situation, especially after mounting that 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.
But then they lost Game 4 8-1 ... and Game 5 5-3 ... and Game 6 5-1.
In one sense, that early cushion has worked to their advantage. The Panthers were able to lose three consecutive games and still find themselves one win away from hoisting the Stanley Cup.
On the other hand, the Oilers have staved off elimination in three consecutive games to turn a best-of-7 series into a one-game, winner-take-all affair.
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