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"Desperation on both sides" - Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk opens up ahead of Stanley Cup Game 7 against Oilers
Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk hasn't gotten much opportunity to score for his team in the Stanley Cup Finals. He has contributed just one goal and two assists in the first six games of the series. But he has impacted the team's play using his rat tactics, dominating the rival player's mind.
In Sunday's press conference, Matthew Tkachuk talked about the desperation of both teams heading into Game 7.
“Most teams when you lose three in a playoff series, you don’t have a chance at another game," Tkachuk said, per Jameson Olive. "Somehow both of us have an opportunity still. Very exciting. Leave it all out there. Desperation on both sides. It’s been a very even series. It all comes down to this.”
Since the last three games, starting Game 4, even Matthew Tkachuk's rat tactics have failed to deliver against the Edmonton Oilers offense. The Panthers had a 3-0 lead after Game 3, and if you asked any NHL fan about the Oilers' winning chances, they would've said, "It's close to impossible."
But things have completely changed now, as the series is tied 3-3 after the Oilers made the impossible possible. They have won three consecutive games after losing three in a row. Now, both teams will be playing the seventh and final game of the series in Amerant Bank Arena on Monday.
Matthew Tkachuk and Florida lost their 3-0 lead to Oilers
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was Florida's one-man army during the first three games of the series. He allowed just four goals to the Oilers during that period, whereas the Panthers scored 11 goals. The Oilers were making a decent number of shots, but Bobrovsky stood like a wall in the nets, as the Oilers had 14 more shots in Game 1's 3-0 loss.
"...we got in the situation of being down 3-0 against Florida in this series, I saw a very confident group where there’s no panic, no desperation, just a very focused mentality," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said (via NHL).
But Bobrovsky's magic completely faded in the three games following Game 4. Edmonton pulled off a massive 8-1 win in that game. That was the start of a new beginning for the Oilers. Next, they pulled off two more consecutive wins, the first 5-3 in which the Panthers tried to fight back, and the second a 5-1 win to extend the series for a Game 7.
The Stanley Cup finale will start at 8 p.m. ET on Monday.
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