Oilers and Panthers relish days off as Stanley Cup final moves to Florida
After Brad Marchand scored the winning goal in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final, he and Florida Panthers teammate Sam Bennett were asked how they kept their bodies going during another long and intense matchup against the Edmonton Oilers.
'I think (Marchand) grabbed a Blizzard … I think it was Oreo today,' Bennett quipped, referring to a viral moment during the Eastern Conference finals when Marchand joked that he enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie dough treat from Dairy Queen between periods — which was later revealed as a spoonful of honey.
'Nice plug,' Marchand responded with a chuckle. 'I like that.'
They were joking, of course, but there was a point in Friday night's double-overtime game that Marchand spent time between periods pedaling on an exercise bike to stay loose — as players from both teams shuffled their tired bodies on and off the ice for hours.
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The first two games of the Stanley Cup final have gone to overtime, only the sixth time in NHL history that's happened and first since 2014. Game 1 went on until Leon Draisaitl's power-play goal 19:29 into the extra period. Marchand put Game 2 to an end with a breakaway goal 8:07 into the second overtime.
With the series tied 1-1, both teams will embark on a cross-continent trip from Alberta to Florida, enjoying an extra day's rest between games to recover after an intense start to their championship series. Game 3 is Monday night in Sunrise, Fla.
'Obviously a long game, a lot of back and forth,' said Florida defenceman Seth Jones, who led the Panthers in ice time at 34 minutes, 35 seconds on Friday.
Jones, who is averaging a team-high 25:45 on the ice in the post-season, played more than 30 minutes in both of the first two games of the series. He scored in the first period on Friday — his fourth goal of the post-season — and assisted on Dmitry Kulikov's goal in the second.
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'We came here for a split and got it,' Jones added, 'and just going to recover now.'
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Panthers coach Paul Maurice said heading back to Florida with the series tied — instead of being down 0-2 — does make a minor mental difference, but one of his team's strengths is its tunnel-vision approach.
'It's mathematically significant,' Maurice said. 'I'd like to think that we'd be dragging here today, this morning, if we had lost that game having had the lead for so long. But I think we're really good at cutting it off.
'It's the same morning this morning at the meal room as it was two days ago (after the Game 1 loss). It's just on to the next day. We understand how to leave our days — the good ones and the bad ones — in the past and handle the day we have right now.'
The Oilers are moving forward in the series with an equally short memory after missed chances in Game 2.
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Corey Perry, whose goal with 17.8 seconds left in the third period forced overtime, said the back-and-forth nature of the series was to be expected from the two teams, but there's no use in getting hung up on 'what-ifs.'
'What's it going to do?' Perry said. 'It's not going to do anything for you now. Get on the plane tomorrow and get some rest and be ready for Game 3.'
Few players have spent more time on the ice in the series than Connor McDavid. The Edmonton star played 31:12 in Game 1, and just over 35 minutes in Game 2 — more than anyone else in the game. That's nearly 10 minutes more than his post-season average of 24:22.
McDavid's impact was certainly felt on Friday. He had three assists, including one in which he zipped through Florida's penalty kill to set up Draisaitl's power play goal in the first.
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Draisaitl noted after the game there's only one player in the world that can make such a highlight-reel play, but stressed the importance of using the two days off to recalibrate.
'At this time of year, you've got to move on,' he said, 'There's not time thinking about it too long. Obviously it stings right now, but we have to move on.'
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