Matthew Tkachuk believes this year's Florida Panthers are better equipped to win the Stanley Cup than last year's Cinderella squad that defied the odds to reach the final.

"Last year, I think we were just kind of riding the wave going into it, much like this year," Tkachuk said, per team reporter Jameson Olive. "But going into this, we know what it's going to take to ultimately come out on top."

The Panthers are set to take on the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final, which begins Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. Florida finished only four points behind the Rangers in the regular-season standings and won the Atlantic Division one year after sneaking into the second wild-card spot on the final day of the 2023 season.

Last year's Panthers erased a 3-1 series deficit to the Boston Bruins in the opening round and then went 8-1 over their next two series before losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Like Tkachuk, captain Aleksander Barkov said his squad has grown since falling short last spring.

"Sometimes when you go all the way to the finals and you're this close and you don't win it, you're just like, 'you're never going to win it,'" he said, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "I think after it happened to us last year, every single guy in the room, we just knew we needed to work a little harder, and everyone did. Everyone came to camp better than ever before, and it just carried into the season.

"We knew that we can do it, we're close, and everyone got better. And here we are again, we are really close."

Tkachuk and Barkov have been Florida's top two producers in these playoffs, logging 14 and 13 points, respectively, in 11 games.

The Panthers played the Rangers three times in the regular season, going 2-0-1.

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After a loss to the Oilers in Game 7, the Canucks season is over, so Matt and Blake have a lot to discuss! The guys go over what went wrong in the nerve-racking final game, and where things could have changed.

They’re joined by former Canucks coach and player Marc Crawford and then the Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, with both addressing the injuries, the holes in the roster, and the questions swirling around Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. They also get around to some of the great stories that got the Canucks to this point, like the goaltending of Arturs Silovs, the coaching of Rick Tocchet and the leadership of JT Miller. The only question left is “Where do they go from here?”

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After a loss to the Oilers in Game 7, the Canucks season is over, so Matt and Blake have a lot to discuss! The guys go over what went wrong in the nerve-racking final game, and where things could have changed.

They’re joined by former Canucks coach and player Marc Crawford and then the Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, with both addressing the injuries, the holes in the roster, and the questions swirling around Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. They also get around to some of the great stories that got the Canucks to this point, like the goaltending of Arturs Silovs, the coaching of Rick Tocchet and the leadership of JT Miller. The only question left is “Where do they go from here?”

Presented by @ApplewoodAutoGroup.

Follow us on social. Thank you to our sponsors:

bet365 | Whatever the moment, it's Never Ordinary at bet365. Download the App today & use Promo Code VANBONUS

Great Clips | It’s Gonna Be Great

GRETA Bar Vancouver | Our Home For Food, Drinks & Watching The Game

Help Stars Here | https://helpstartshere.gov.bc.ca/

Kal Tire | It's How We Roll

Mr. Lube | Over 16 locations in the Lower Mainland

Northlands Golf Course | 6-90 Day Reservations - Jump The Queue & Lock In Your Dates For $10 Per Player Booking Fee

Sleep Douglas | Named Canada's Best Mattress

Vancouver Canadians | Get your tickets HERE

Whistler Golf Club | Book Your Tee Times At The Arnold Palmer-Designed Course!

Yellow Dog Brewing | Located in Port Moody (2817 Murray Street)

Watch Sekeres & Price LIVE on YouTube

Visit CanucksArmy.com for the latest on the Canucks!

Follow host Matt Sekeres

Follow host Blake Price

Follow producer Grady Sas

Powered by The Nation Network. Reach out to sales@nationnetwork.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a loss to the Oilers in Game 7, the Canucks season is over, so Matt and Blake have a lot to discuss! The guys go over what went wrong in the nerve-racking final game, and where things could have changed.

They’re joined by former Canucks coach and player Marc Crawford and then the Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, with both addressing the injuries, the holes in the roster, and the questions swirling around Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. They also get around to some of the great stories that got the Canucks to this point, like the goaltending of Arturs Silovs, the coaching of Rick Tocchet and the leadership of JT Miller. The only question left is “Where do they go from here?”

Presented by @ApplewoodAutoGroup.

Follow us on social. Thank you to our sponsors:

bet365 | Whatever the moment, it's Never Ordinary at bet365. Download the App today & use Promo Code VANBONUS

Great Clips | It’s Gonna Be Great

GRETA Bar Vancouver | Our Home For Food, Drinks & Watching The Game

Help Stars Here | https://helpstartshere.gov.bc.ca/

Kal Tire | It's How We Roll

Mr. Lube | Over 16 locations in the Lower Mainland

Northlands Golf Course | 6-90 Day Reservations - Jump The Queue & Lock In Your Dates For $10 Per Player Booking Fee

Sleep Douglas | Named Canada's Best Mattress

Vancouver Canadians | Get your tickets HERE

Whistler Golf Club | Book Your Tee Times At The Arnold Palmer-Designed Course!

Yellow Dog Brewing | Located in Port Moody (2817 Murray Street)

Watch Sekeres & Price LIVE on YouTube

Visit CanucksArmy.com for the latest on the Canucks!

Follow host Matt Sekeres

Follow host Blake Price

Follow producer Grady Sas

Powered by The Nation Network. Reach out to sales@nationnetwork.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.