Aaron Ekblad had just gotten back to the hotel after the Florida Panthers’ hotel after their Game 3 win in the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday when he saw the video. Amerant Bank Arena, the Panthers’ home arena, held a watch party for the game.
And suffice to say, it was packed. “The whole lower bowl was full. That was really cool,” Ekblad said Saturday ahead of Game 4, Florida’s first chance to win the Cup after taking a 3-0 series lead over the Oilers. The Panthers have certainly come a long way since they drafted Ekblad with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. The team’s average home attendance was 11,271 — the lowest for a season in team history when fans were allowed in the arena (so excluding the 2020-21 season).
This year, the Panthers had an average crowd of 18,632 in the regular season and had 17 sellouts. During the playoffs, they have averaged 19,661 fans per game — working at a 102.1-percent capacity. “To see how far it’s come full circle since I’ve gotten here has been incredible,” Ekblad said. “We’re super proud to be in front of our fans.” The Panthers sold out their watch party for Game 4 at Amerant Bank Arena.
How Panthers Handled Game 4 Prep
The Panthers have been so good at handling their emotions in big situations. So how did they handle Saturday morning, knowing very well that in a few hours they could find themselves hoisting the Stanley Cup? Here’s a collection of thoughts from the team following morning skate:
▪ Coach Paul Maurice: “I’m probably not quite as calm as it looks. The feet are flying underneath this table. We have to keep this in context, right? It’s 11 o’clock in the morning; my brain’s going to shift pretty hard in about four hours, and it won’t be conversations and casualness by any means. But I’ve been selling ‘enjoy your day’ for two years here, probably before that, and I believe it. I’ve had enough of the other days that aren’t good and I’m damn well going to enjoy morning skate on a day like today. I refuse not to be in a good mood. The puck’s going to drop and everything changes. Your brain gets wired into what you’re doing, there’s no casualness that’s going to happen tonight. But I should be fairly relaxed this morning. If you can’t enjoy this morning, what the hell are you doing? What’s the point of this? I’m not playing tonight. I really don’t do that much back there. Players will be wound up.”
▪ Center Anton Lundell: “It’s a great feeling, for sure, but we don’t want to think too far yet. We want to play the game first, and it takes a full 60 minutes. We want to have a great game because we know they’re gonna give everything they have, so we want to be prepared for that.”
▪ Forward Kyle Okposo: “I don’t think it’s really going to be a problem for our group. I mean, obviously there’ll be some different emotions, but once the puck drops, it’s business as usual. It’s how we play. It’s getting our game as quick as possible. Obviously they’re going to be a desperate team and we know that and we just have to really stick to our guns.”
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