The pace in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final has made the championship series extremely entertaining to watch.
Both the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers were able to extract a hard-earned victory during the first two games of the series in Alberta, but now the scene shifts to Sunrise for a couple of battles in South Florida.
Despite there being 16 goals scored so far – eight for each team – the defensive play on both sides has been pretty solid.
The physicality has also been heavy and consistent between the Cats and Oilers.
Truly, these teams have treated hockey fans to two spectacular Stanley Cup Final games so far.
That’s not bad considering many have already viewed last year’s epic seven-game Final between Florida and Edmonton as one of the best ever.
But now, after playing those two exhausting, demanding games, both of which went to overtime, the players were given an extra day off while the series moved from central Alberta to southern Florida.
“Both teams will take the two days, gladly,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice.
Recovering from the games is only a part of why the time off will be so valued.
The distance between Sunrise and Edmonton represents the farthest gap between two Stanley Cup Final opponents ever, as we all learned last year.
“I think it's necessary for both teams,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said of the time off. “I think it's a necessary evil of a six-hour flight and a two-hour time change. You have to have it.”
Ekblad and the Panthers made the cross-continent trip on Saturday, about 12 hours after their thrilling 5-4 double overtime win in Game 2 at Rogers Place.
The majority of the team participated in an optional practice session on Sunday at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale.
“Whether it's a big win or whether it's a tough loss, it's all how you bounce back from it,” said Panthers forward Sam Reinhart. “It's what happens in these two days in between that prepares you for the next game. We take pride in, no matter what happened in that last game, we're going to do what we need to this next couple days to be at our best once that puck drops, and we expect the same out of them as well.”
Included in the group that skated on Sunday was injured forward A.J. Greer, who wore a light blue sweater along with recent healthy scratches Nico Sturm and Mackie Samoskevich.
That would indicate the Panthers aren’t making any roster changes after their win in Game 2, but things could certainly change over the next 24 hours.
We’ll see if Greer remains out of the top 12 when Florida holds a morning skate on Monday ahead of Game 3 at Amerant Bank Arena.
Stay tuned.
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Photo caption: Jun 6, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (3) reacts after scoring a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period in game two of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)