Edmonton – In the fierce competition of the Stanley Cup final, the Florida Panthers had a three goal lead, but encountered serious difficulties on the offensive end. In the first six matches of the cup final, although they scored 11 goals in the first eight quarters, their offensive performance in recent games has been worrying. In the past 10 games against the Edmonton Oilers, the Black Panthers have only scored 5 goals, making their championship journey precarious.
In Friday’s sixth game, the Black Panthers lost 5-1. Forward Evan Rodriguez admitted after the game, “They successfully cut off our offensive connection and forced us to disperse. We must be more united, and first we must do well on the defensive end.”
With the series tied 3-3, the Black Panthers are now standing at a crossroads in history. They are trying to avoid becoming the second team in NHL history to lose 3-0. Faced with such difficulties, the Black Panthers need to show a brand new attacking style in the seventh game next Monday.
Coach Paul Morris said, “We do lack some speed on the offensive end, not only in the third zone, but also in 5-5 games. We need to find ways to generate and maintain speed.” The top players of the Black Panthers, such as center Carter Verhague and forward Matthew Tekachuk, have all fallen into a goal drought, making their attack even more difficult.
The struggle on the offensive end is not only reflected in the number of goals scored, but also in the power game of the Black Panthers. In the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, their power game success rate was 23.3%, but in the series against the Oilers, this figure plummeted to 5.3%.
Faced with the upcoming seventh game, the Black Panthers must solve their offensive problems. Forward Eetu Luostarinen said, “They did a great job on the defensive end, stopping us from shooting a lot. We need to change this and find a breakthrough.”
Now, the Black Panthers are standing on the edge of the cliff, and they need to perform at their best in the last game to keep the hope of the Stanley Cup. The winner of this game will determine the ownership of the championship, and whether the Black Panthers can reignite their offensive fire will be the key to their ability to counterattack.