George Richards, FHN Publisher
SUNRISE — For the second time in his career, Vladimir Tarasenko will play in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final tonight.
He and the Florida Panthers hope it ends the same way it did in 2019.
Tarasenko and Carter Verhaeghe are the only Florida players who have won the Stanley Cup — with Tarasenko helping the St. Louis Blues do it in Boston five years ago.
Coach Paul Maurice, who is 4-0 in Game 7s although not with the Cup on the line, says Tarasenko has been a fantastic addition to the Panthers.
Florida got him in a deadline deal with Ottawa.
“That’s been a really great experience on my part. I didn’t know Vlad as a person before he came here,’’ Maurice said. “The experience of that Game 7 … I love what he’s done with it. … He’s very communicative, he’s very open with the players and he talks hockey all day long.”
Said Ryan Lomberg: “I think his quote the other day was it’s the ‘pressure is a privilege.’ So, enjoy it, give it everything you’ve got.’’
Tarasenko will remain on Florida’s third line as Maurice has kept Florida’s lines together — with the exception of replacing Nick Cousins with Kyle Okposo on the fourth — for yet another game.
The Panthers are going to try and leave everything they have on the ice tonight knowing there is no more hockey after this.
“That’s why he was targeted,’’ Sam Reinhart said. “That’s why guys wanted him in their locker room. We’ve felt that experience. We felt that knowledge that he’s brought to our group, and it’s for situations like these. You’ve got to utilize past experiences. He’s certainly been here before, and he’s succeeded.’’
With as many changes as will come to the Panthers due to their salary cap situation, this is the last time many of them will not only wear the Florida sweater but be teammates with each other.
“Whether we win or lose, today’s the last day of our season,’’ said Lomberg, one of many Florida free agents. “It’s definitely something bittersweet. We’ve been enjoying every moment, but even more so now being at the end of the road, you enjoy every second you got the guys.”
2024 STANLEY CUP FINAL
EDMONTON OILERS VS. FLORIDA PANTHERS
GAME 7
Best of 7 Series Tied 3-3
- When: Monday, 8 p.m.
- Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
- National TV: ABC
- Streaming: ESPN+/Hulu
- Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (West Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); WCZR 101.7-FM (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL app
- Local Betting Odds — Pick ‘Em: Money Line (-110/-110); Over/Under 5.5 (+115/-150).
- Series Schedule — Game 1: @Florida 3, Edmonton 0;Game 2:@Florida 4, Edmonton 1; Game 3: Florida 4, @Edmonton 3; Game 4: @Edmonton 8, Florida 1; Game 5: Edmonton 5, @Florida 3; Game 6: @Edmonton 5, Florida 1; Game 7: Edmonton at Florida, Monday
- How They Got Here — Florida: d. Tampa Bay 4-1, Boston 4-2, New York Rangers 4-2; Edmonton: d. Los Angeles 4-1, Vancouver 4-3, Dallas 4-2.
- This Season (Florida Won 2-0) — At Florida: Panthers 5, Oilers 3 (Nov. 20). At Edmonton: Panthers 5, Oilers 2 (Dec. 17).
- Last Season: Edmonton Won 2-0
- All-time Regular Season Series: Oilers lead 23-16-0, 3 ties
- Postseason History: First Meeting
PROJECTED FLORIDA PANTHERS (3-3) LINES
23 Carter Verhaeghe // 16 Sasha Barkov // 13 Sam Reinhart
17 Evan Rodrigues // 9 Sam Bennett // 19 Matthew Tkachuk
27 Eetu Luostarinen // 15 Anton Lundell // 10 Vladimir Tarasenko
94 Ryan Lomberg // 82 Kevin Stenlund // 8 Kyle Okposo
42 Gus Forsling // 5 Aaron Ekblad
77 Niko Mikkola // 62 Brandon Montour
91 Oliver Ekman-Larsson // 7 Dmitry Kulikov
72 Sergei Bobrovsky
41 Anthony Stolarz
Scratched: Nick Cousins, Steven Lorentz, Tobias Bjornfot, Uvis Balinskis, Josh Mahura, Jonah Gadjovich, Spencer Knight, Rasmus Asplund, Mike Benning, Magnus Hellberg, Matt Kiersted, Will Lockwood, Mackie Samoskevich, Justin Sourdif, Patrick Giles
PROJECTED EDMONTON OILERS (3-3) LINES
93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins // 97 Connor McDavid // 18 Zach Hyman
71 Ryan McLeod // 29 Leon Draisaitl // 55 Dylan Holloway
13 Mattias Janmark // 19 Adam Henrique // 28 Connor Brown
37 Warren Foegele // 90 Corey Perry
14 Mattias Ekholm // 2 Evan Bouchard
25 Darnell Nurse // 73 Vincent Desharnais
86 Philip Broberg // 27 Brett Kulak
5 Codi Ceci
G 74 Stuart Skinner
G 30 Calvin Pickard