After a total ass-kicking in Game 4, the Florida Panthers look to close out the NHL season by hoisting the Stanley Cup trophy on home ice tonight with a win over the Edmonton Oilers. The Panthers' first championship is on the line, and fans who've been following the team since its formation in 1993 will have their eyes glued to the game.
Let's dive into three reasons you should feel safe and sound heading into a potentially historic Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 between the Panthers and Oilers.
Nice Home Ice
The Panthers hold a 3-1 series lead and have been dominant at home throughout the playoffs, winning their last four games on home ice in Sunrise, including the first two games of this series against Edmonton. The team had a 26-13-2 home record in the regular season and are 8-3 at Amerant Bank Arena in the playoffs.That's good news because after dominating Game 3 to capture a commanding lead in the series, Florida ate an all-time serving of humble pie in Game 4, suffering an 8-1 defeat at the hands of Edmonton.
The Game 4 loss tied for the second-worst defeat by any team in a playoff game since 2001 and the second-worst loss in a Cup final game ever. Luckily, as they say in sports, it only counts as one!
History on Panthers' Side
Fear not, Panthers fans. While we all wish we were celebrating a Stanley Cup win ankle-deep in the Everglades right now, a 3-1 lead with home ice advantage is almost as sweet. Why? Because it sucks to be the Oilers right now, according to every metric ever. The Oilers are the 29th team in NHL history to trail 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final. Only the Toronto Maple Leafs managed to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win the Stanley Cup in seven games — accomplishing the feat against the Detroit Red Wings in 1942. No team in the modern era has overcome a 3-0 hole to win the Cup.
To reiterate: If the Panthers blow this lead, something that hasn't happened since World War II will have transpired. We're not saying it's impossible; we're just pointing out that it's been a while.
In the event the Oilers stage a once-in-a-lifetime comeback, Game 6 would be played in Edmonton on Friday, June 21, and Game 7 would be hosted back in Florida on Monday, June 24.
Odds In Our Favor
Do you like odds? We have some, and they are definitely in favor of the Florida Panthers.The Panthers are -1200 to win the Stanley Cup and -145 to clinch it on home ice in Game 5. FanDuel has the Oilers’ odds to win the Stanley Cup at +720.
If you're not a gambling man or woman, just know those numbers mean Vegas is begging you to bet on the Oilers, and for good reason — they need to build more hotels and splash pads on dumb money.
The smart money is on the Florida Panthers to hoist the cup in Sunrise tonight. The puck drops for Game 5 at 8:00 p.m.
