Panthers say they have to be better in Game 2

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Up 1-0 in Round 1 against Tampa Bay, the Florida Panthers said they had to get better. Down 1-0 in Round 2 against Boston, they said it again. Up 1-0 in the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Rangers, same thing.

And now, leading the Stanley Cup Final 1-0 over the Edmonton Oilers going into Game 2 on Monday night, nothing has changed.

There will be no relaxing, the Panthers — 3-0 winners in the Cup opener — insisted on Sunday. No change of approach, no sense of accomplishment, nothing but an effort to be even sharper in Game 2 against an Oilers team that outshot them by a ton in Game 1 and rarely gets shut down offensively in back-to-back games.

“What can you learn from the game is the most important thing,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “Where can you get better? You want to temper all of that when you sit down and watch your video because the other team gets paid, too. That’s some pretty good players over there.”

Those players over there — led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl — liked much of what they brought in Game 1.

They just couldn’t beat Sergei Bobrovsky, the Florida goalie who is absolutely dialed in right now. He’s got a 1.24 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage in his last four games, plus has yielded two goals or less in 11 of his last 12 contests.

The video confirmed what the Oilers knew: In Game 1, they created great chances.

“There’s no panic in our room right now,” Oilers forward Connor Brown said.

With good reason, too. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that Edmonton is going to have a certain resolve on Monday night, not just for losing Game 1 of a Cup final — but after getting shut out as well. The Oilers are 3-0-0 this season in the game immediately following a shutout loss, outscoring teams 19-8 in those games. Add in last year and they’re 5-0-0 after a shutout with a scoring margin of 2914.

And so far in these playoffs, Edmonton has had a bounceback ability. The Oilers are 5-1 in this postseason after a loss, outscoring teams in those games 26-14.

“I think it’s been a great trait of ours throughout the whole season, our ability to bounce back, even period to period sometimes,” Oilers forward Ryan Nugent- Hopkins said. “Of course, you’re going to go through tough stretches through the season, and it’s how you respond to that. Even through the playoffs, we’ve been able to do that. So, we should take that confidence.”