Florida Panthers Practice: Tkachuk Ready to Rekindle Rivalry

FORT LAUDERDALE — Matthew Tkachuk famously said in his introductory press conference with the Florida Panthers in 2022 that while he hated the Edmonton Oilers from his time with the Calgary Flames, “I now hate Tampa more.’’

Well, well, well.

Tkachuk spoke a little about playing the Oilers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final with the Panthers on Tuesday as the team practiced for the first time since beating the Rangers on Saturday night.

Tkachuk sidestepped his “hatred’’ of the Oilers — and everyone knows the Stanley Cup is much bigger than the ‘Battle of Alberta’ between Calgary and Edmonton.

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“Any time you are playing any opponent in the Stanley Cup Final, you do not need a team rivalry,’’ he said. “Right when the puck drops, it will be very intense.’’

Tkachuk, whose post-practice video is up on the FHN YouTube Channel, spoke on a variety of subjects.

So, too, did coach Paul Maurice and center Anton Lundell.

Florida was without Sasha Barkov and Dmitry Kulikov on Tuesday and Maurice addressed those absences as well.

Plenty more to come at FHN.

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2024 STANLEY CUP FINAL

EDMONTON OILERS VS. FLORIDA PANTHERS 

GAME 1

• When: Saturday, 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
• Series Schedule, All Games 8 p.m. on ABC — Game 1:Edmonton at Florida, Saturday; Game 2: Edmonton at Florida, Monday June 10; Game 3: Florida at Edmonton, Thursday June 13; Game 4: Florida at Edmonton, Saturday June 15; Game 5*: Edmonton at Florida, Tuesday June 18; Game 6*: Florida at Edmonton, Friday June 21; Game 7*: Edmonton at Florida, Monday June 24. (*) – If Necessary
• 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