Coercion? Panthers lead Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final after acknowledging their shortcomings.
(AP) — Fort Lauderdale, Florida Even though not much had happened in the thirteen hours since he last spoke with reporters, Florida coach Paul Maurice was back behind the microphone on Wednesday for his daily press conference.
He fielded several inquiries. He needed to ask one, too.
“How am I the only one here today in a decent mood?” somewhat of sarcastically, somewhat of seriously, Maurice asked.
Indeed, the Panthers have suffered defeats in their past two games, with one of them ending in humiliation. Yes, they have lost their last two Stanley Cup opportunities. Yes, the Panthers’ advantage in the championship series against the Edmonton Oilers, which was 3-0, is now only 3-2 after they lost Game 5 on home ice on Tuesday night, 5-3. sure, Game 6 will take place in Edmonton on Friday night, and sure, Connor McDavid, the star of the Oilers, recently had back-to-back games that have never been witnessed in the Cup final.
No, that does not imply that the Panthers are concerned about faltering in a crunch.
Maurice said, “You’re going to think I’m lying to you.” “I feel more at ease. Since most series end in a tie, I can relate to the 3-2 feeling; 3-0 is really more of an exception, don’t you think? Apply pressure. We may have different perspectives on these matters, and I’m not sure I would concur that the burden of proof has shifted so far in our direction.
Put the on-ice issues aside for a bit. Before the team takes a second aircraft to Edmonton on Thursday, Maurice can present his squad almost every historical statistic that indicates Florida should be optimistic about its chances over time:
— Game 1 was won by the Panthers. The Cup is won 76% of the time by teams that win Game 1.
– They had a 2-0 series lead. In that scenario, teams have a 91% chance of winning the Cup.
They had a 3-0 series lead. There, the Cup rate was 96%.
They had a 3-1 advantage. In that case, the cup rate was 97%.
They have a 3-2 advantage. In such case, the cup rate was 81%. The Panthers are still ahead in the series despite being outscored 13-1 from the end of Game 3 to essentially the middle of Game 5, losing 8-1 in their most recent trip to Edmonton, and losing at home on Tuesday night. Nobody would have said no to being in this location on the first day of camp back in the autumn.
