Panthers, Flames fight to extend flickering postseason hopes
The Florida Panthers continued their mastery over the Edmonton Oilers with a decisive 4-0 road victory on Thursday in a Stanley Cup Final rematch.
Now the Panthers are on a quest for an Alberta sweep when they visit the Calgary Flames on Friday to finish a four-game road swing.
The Panthers (34-31-3, 71 points) are in Hail Mary territory to keep their hopes alive to claim a third consecutive championship, sitting 13 points back of a playoff position with 14 games remaining.
However, they proved to still have the right stuff in defeating the Oilers, the team they beat in the finals each of the past two seasons.
"I'm so happy for them," Florida coach Paul Maurice said of his players. "It's been a grind. It's been so hard. That's the best defensive corps that we've put on the ice since two minutes in Game 2 of the season. You see what those guys can do."
Florida, which snapped a two-game losing streak, has won four of six games. Handily defeating an Oilers team that is in the hunt for the top spot in the Pacific Division meant plenty.
"We all remember each other very well during the two years we've been playing against each other and spending a lot of time in this building," Panthers forward Anton Lundell said. "Being back gives you a little extra motivation and extra boost."
Florida forward Matthew Tkachuk, whose career started in Calgary, returns to his old stomping grounds on a roll, having collected 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 11 games since the Olympic break.
The Flames (27-34-7, 61 points), who are above only the Vancouver Canucks in the overall standings, are looking to claim a second consecutive win. They registered a unique 2-1 shootout victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday to open a six-game homestand.
Calgary overcame having a trio of goals erased due to coach's challenges, which had happened only once before in league history.
"I think we've all been a part of a disallowed goal, but to have three straight, it was pretty nuts honestly," said Flames forward Connor Zary, who scored his team's lone regulation goal that counted. "I guess that's on us. We've got to work on our onsides and high sticks. At the end of the day, you see two, you're like, 'This is crazy.' You see three, you just have to laugh."
The Flames, who have managed only two wins in their past six games, are all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but they continue to be a plucky club.
Drumming up a win when overturned goals twice prevent you from taking a 2-0 lead and another that would have broke a tie is a sign of resilience, especially for a club that is playing out the string.
"We do have good character, we have good people in our room," coach Ryan Huska said. "We stayed with it, even though the three (goals) were taken back, and I thought we stood up for each other well, too. ... Maybe the most important thing for me was the way they kept connected on that side of the game."