By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Trailing the Stanley Cup Final after losing the opener in overtime, the defending champion Florida Panthers look to even things up in Game 2 at the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night.
Winning on the road has not been a problem for them so far, going 8-3 away from home, the third loss coming Wednesday on Leon Draisatl’s power-play goal following a puck-over-the-glass penalty on Tomas Nosek. The task of going into a packed, loud arena is just another challenge the Panthers are embracing.
“It’s that ‘us against the world’ mindset, but you really feel it especially being down in a series,” winger Matthew Tkachuk said. “Us against the 20-plus guys you’re playing against, the 20,000 that are in the rink, the 20,000 that are outside the rink. It’s just us against everybody. That’s what makes playing on the road so fun and rewarding when you can get a win.”
If they do, it will wrestle home-ice advantage away from the Oilers with play shifting to Sunrise for Games 3 and 4 next week.
One of the toughest parts of being on the road is trying to defend Draisaitl and Connor McDavid when they’re on the ice together. Coach Kris Knoblauch did that some late in Game 1, and it’s difficult for Paul Maurice to counter without the last line change to control matchups.
“When they play together, they’re obviously very creative players and they’ll make everyone around them better,” Florida defenseman Seth Jones said. “They like to look for each other, especially when they play together, little give-and-goes, things like that, and then they’re dangerous off the rush, too. Whether they’re playing together or apart, it’s a five-man unit defending.”
The Oilers remain without Zach Hyman, out for the remainder of the playoffs after his right wrist got dislocated on a hit during the last round. The Panthers could be close to full strength if A.J. Greer can return, and Maurice said fourth-liner Jonah Gadjovich is good to go after missing part of Game 1.
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