SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers are one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference Final for the third consecutive year, and they’ll get a chance to clinch on home ice Friday night in Game 6 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Panthers dropped the first two games of the series in Toronto but responded with three straight wins to take control of the best-of-seven matchup.
For a team looking to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, the comeback hasn’t felt like a surprise — more like a reflection of their identity.
“The biggest thing with this group is everyone trusts each other to do their job, and we have that trust in ourselves to do their job,” said Panthers forward Brad Marchand.
Marchand, a veteran voice in the locker room, emphasized the importance of staying mentally sharp and blocking out distractions as the Panthers try to close out the series.
“When you start thinking about outside noise and you start looking at anything else and just being in the moment — the next play — it’s enough to distract you from what you’re trying to accomplish,” Marchand added. “So it’s really just making sure that every time you step onto the bench, you’re refocusing for the next shift.
“You know you’re thinking about the details of the potential situations you’re going to be in, and I think that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “The more you go through that repetition in your mind, the little more focused and detailed you are that next shift, and it’s just about resetting time you come off the ice.”
The Panthers have been strong at home this season, and the team is hoping that energy inside Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise will carry them over the finish line.
“There’s just something about being in front of the home crowd,” defenseman Nate Schmidt said Friday morning. “I really think we find another level in our game, so I’m excited to get out there and do that again tonight.”
The puck is scheduled to drop at 8 p.m.
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