Panthers’ Paul Maurice drops ‘grumpy’ truth bomb after Game 5 loss

The Florida Panthers are now playing a real series with the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final, losing two in a row after going up 3-0 in the series, with Game 6 taking place Friday in Edmonton, but Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said nothing happened. changed with the approach heading into the next game.

“Absolutely nothing has changed in our situation over the last two games,” Paul Maurice said, via Greg Wyshynski of ESPN. “I don’t inflate tires. I don’t rub my back. I don’t think we need that at all. Everyone probably feels exactly the way I feel right now. I don’t feel deflated, and neither does the hockey team. They don’t feel deflated. A bit grumpy.”

After taking a 3-0 series lead, the Panthers lost Game 4 on the road in Edmonton by a score of 8-1. That match wasn’t very competitive from the start. There wasn’t much panic as the Panthers had a chance to capture the Stanley Cup on home ice with a win in Game 5. That didn’t happen as Florida’s comeback attempt in Game 5 failed and the Oilers came away with a 5- 3 win to force Game 6.

The Panthers don’t seem concerned as a team about losing two games in a row, but confidence is growing among the Oilers and some nervousness is starting to appear among Florida fans. After the Oilers scored an empty net goal to end Game 5, frustration boiled over for Panthers general manager Bill Zito as he threw a water bottle as the puck went into the net. His team hopes to put those frustrations to rest in Game 6 with a win that clinches the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Panthers go in with the same mentality as before

Although the Oilers have closed the gap in the series to 3-2, the Panthers still enter Game 6 with the same mentality as they entered Game 3. Matthew Tkachuk admitted the comeback that fell short in Game 5 was frustrating, but confirmed there is no change in mentality for his team.

“We’ll get back to it on Friday,” Matthew Tkachuk said via Wyshynski. “We did a really good job at the start of the series building that lead, so nothing really changes in the mentality tonight. We’re up 3-2 going back to Edmonton. A few days to prepare to go for it and return healthy, rested and ready to go.

The Panthers determined that they need to be better when it comes to the power play and not allowing shorthanded goals. The Oilers got on the board with shorthanded goals in Games 4 and 5. It was a tone setter in both games.

Getting off to a better start in Game 6 will be key. Another bad start from the Panthers would inflame Oilers fans, and the pressure would mount even more as the team tries to avoid blowing a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.