Panthers’ coach Maurice: ‘Everything is dangerous all of the time’

At this time last year, the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers gave us the most memorable, most entertaining Stanley Cup final of a generation. The Oilers clawed back from a three-games-to-none deficit, only to lose Game 7 by a single goal.

There’s no way that could be topped, right?

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Well, the Panthers and Oilers of 2025 have told the world: “hold our beer.” Three of four games decided in overtime. Two games tied late with a goalie pulled. The Panthers blowing leads of 3-1, 4-3 and 3-0.  If you are emotionally invested in the games, it’s hard to pull yourself out of it and appreciate the kind of theatre these teams have provided. When was the last time we’ve seen a championship rivalry like this? The Penguins and Red Wings from 15 years ago? Sorry, as good as that was, it’s not as good as this. Maybe the Oilers and Islanders in the 1980s? But, the Islanders blew the Oilers out in their first meeting.

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Red Wings and Canadiens of the 1950s?

Maybe… never?

Despite feeling the sting of Thursday’s Game 4 overtime loss, Panthers coach Paul Maurice was able to marvel at what this rivalry has become. Also, it was a slick way to deflect criticism away from his team, which hasn’t looked comfortable protecting leads in this series, save for the Game 3 blowout which looks like it was nothing but an outlier.

“It’s so fast.,” said Maurice. “Every board battle can turn into something. So, there’s a tension because both teams can score.

“Everything is dangerous all of the time. The mental intensity, the mental toughness of both teams shows. The game’s not going to be over until it is. We’ve had three of four games go into overtime. These are two really good, really evenly matched teams.”

Heck, Maurice described coaching in this series as if he was a kid.

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“This is as good as it gets. This is Christmas. This is the payoff. You want to be a good pro, but Tuesday on the road in the West Coast in November? Not as much fun as you’d think. But this is where you get the payback. Don’t get me wrong. This is not light. You do feel it coming for about a day and a half, you feel  a game coming, and you feel it all day and it’s exciting. This is truly the juice you live for.”

And Maurice said three of four games needing overtime is par for the course for a series he fully expected to go seven games. Just like last season.

“We’ve had two overtime losses, and they’re painful… and we’re flat now. It’s best two out of three. It’s great for fans. I felt this way about the series last year: I think it’s great for the game. You’ve got a Canadian team and a U.S.-based team. You’ve got some of the best players in the world for sure,  incredible depth on both teams. And there’s schizophrenic mood swings on the bench. You’re going, and then you’re not.”

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With the emotional rollercoaster of Game 4, with the Panthers coughing up a three-goal lead, then Sam Reinhart tying the game late, then Oilers’ goalie Calvin Pickard getting just enough of Sam Bennett’s overtime dart to deflect it off the bar, to Leon Draisaitl’s pinball winner, there is little time to catch our breath. There’s only one off day before the teams face each other in Game 5 at Rogers Place. Panther Matthew Tkachuk said he’s thankful that the team is flying on Friday, so there’s no day off to dwell on the loss.

Is this the tightest series in which Tkachuk has played?

“I’d have to think about it,” he said. “But three overtime games out of the first four? I know we had that with the Rangers last year, so, yeah, probably those two series.”

The Rangers won two of those three overtime games, just like the Oilers in this Cup final. But the Panthers won the series in six. Maybe Tkachuk was being intentional with the comparison, dropping that nugget so the sportswriters would look it up.

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“This is the hardest trophy in hockey to win,” said Panthers defenceman Aaron Ekblad. “Both teams are resilient and strong, and have some amazing players. They can do some amazing things. So, it’s going to take all of us. And that’s the message: Just stay together and find a way to get it done.

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