FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The ultimate road warriors.
Making their way through three difficult rounds to reach their third straight Stanley Cup Final, no team has looked more comfortable away from home than the Florida Panthers.
After going 7-4 on the road en route to their first-ever Cup in 2024, the defending champs have been even better in 2025, posting an 8-2 record while averaging 4.8 goals per game.
They’re also sitting at 42.9% on the power play and and 88.6% on the penalty kill.
“Us against the world, it’s that kind of feeling,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said of life on the road.
Heading into a rematch in the Stanley Cup Final, that mentality won’t change.
When the puck finally drops for Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Wednesday, the Panthers are prepared to be greeted by a deafening sea of orange jerseys.
“We’re going to and try and win Game 1, and go from there,” forward Sam Reinhart said.
During last year’s Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers came out on top in one of their three trips to Rogers Place, winning Game 3 by a score of 4-3 but then losing in both Game 4 and Game 6 as the Oilers defended their home ice to stave off elimination.
Eventually, the Panthers went on to win Game 7 in Sunrise to capture Lord Stanley.
This time around, Carter Verhaeghe said players know what to expect at Rogers Place.
“Going in there, it was one of the loudest buildings I’ve ever played in,” the Panthers sniper said. “It gets really loud in there when they’re buzzing around in their own arena. It’s a really cool environment to play in. We’re just really excited. Last year gives us some experience.”
For the Panthers, success on the road comes down to two things: hot starts and depth.
Not letting opposing buildings build up buzz, they lead the playoffs with 13 first-period goals on the road, which is seven more than the next best team. Those strong starts have proved to be particularly important as they’ve also gone 5-0 when leading after the first period.
Getting contributions from up and down their lineup, seven of the highest-scoring players on the road this postseason wear Panthers jerseys, while the other two players -- Leon Draisaitl (14 points) and Connor McDavid (13 points) -- are both suiting up for the Oilers.
Sam Bennett leads the NHL in road goals (12) and is tied with Eetu Luostarinen for the most road points with 12. Just behind them, Florida has five other players with double-digit road points: Matthew Tkachuk (11), Aleksander Barkov (11), Verhaeghe (10) and Reinhart (10).
But while the Panthers have ruled the road, the Oilers are no slouches at home.
During this year’s playoffs, the champs of the West own a 6-1 record.
In Game 1, one of the two teams will have to bend.
But given how they’ve looked as of late, the Panthers should be up to the task.
Dating back to Game 5 of their second-round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs, they’ve gone 5-0 on the road while outscoring the opposition 27-7.
And while you’d be hard-pressed to find many louder buildings on the road than Rogers Place, the Panthers believe last year’s experience should help tune some of the noise out.
“There’s a handful of places where experience helps you,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “You get to the [Stanley Cup] Final or you get into any buildings where they’re passionate about the sport, and I guess that’s all 32 at some point, and it’ll be loud. There’s enough men in that room that have been through it.”
To attend the official watch party for Games 1 and 2 in South Florida, click HERE.
