Fort Lauderdale, Florida (AP) – Following Blood Merchand‘s winning goal in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final, both he and Florida Panthers teammate Sam Bennett discussed how they maintained their stamina during a grueling matchup against the Edmonton Oilers.
“I think (Marchand) grabbed a snowstorm… it was probably an Oreo today,” Bennett joked. Later, it was revealed that Marchand had taken a spoonful of honey, while he playfully mentioned enjoying a chocolate chip cookie dough snack from Dairy Queen during the game.
“A lovely plug,” Marchand chuckled. “I like that!”
While they were clearly joking, during the double overtime battle on Friday night, Marchand was seen pedaling away on his exercise bike during breaks.
The first two games of the Stanley Cup final saw double overtime, marking only the sixth instance in NHL history and the first since 2014. Game 1 concluded with Leon Draysightle’s power play goal at 19:29 of the extra period, while Marchand clinched Game 2 with a breakaway goal at 8:07 in the second overtime.
With the series now tied at 1-1, both teams are preparing for a cross-country trip from Canada to Florida, taking a day off before the next match in this intense Championship Series. Game 3 is set for Monday night in Sunrise, Florida.
“It’s definitely a lengthy game with a lot of back and forth,” noted Florida defender Seth Jones.
Jones, who has been averaging a team-high 25:45 on the postseason ice, played over 30 minutes in both of the initial games of the series. He made an impact by scoring his fourth goal of the postseason in the first period on Friday, assisting Dmitry Klikov’s second goal.
“We split it and got the win,” Jones added. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice mentioned that tying the series in Florida would provide a small psychological boost compared to trailing 0-2, but acknowledged his team’s strength lies in their focused approach.
“It’s mathematically significant,” Maurice explained. “I think we are feeling the burn this morning.”
“This morning is the same as two days ago (after losing Game 1), and it will be until the next day. I’ve put our past behind us and focus on handling today.”
The Oilers are looking to move ahead in the series with a similar short memory after missing a chance in Game 2.
Corey Perry, who scored a goal with just 17.8 seconds remaining in the third period to push the game into overtime, remarked that the series’ intense nature was expected from both teams, emphasizing the futility of dwelling on “What-Ifs.”
“What are you going to do about that?” Perry said. “I’ll do nothing right now. Just board a plane tomorrow, rest, and prepare for Game 3.”
Few players have logged as much ice time in the series as Conor McDavid. The Edmonton star played just over 31:12 in Game 1 and over 35 minutes in Game 2, which is nearly 10 minutes more than his postseason average of 24:22.
McDavid’s impact was undeniable on Friday, as he recorded three assists, including one on Draysightle’s power play goal, slicing through Florida’s penalty-killing unit.
Draisaitl noted post-game that there’s only one player in the world capable of making such highlight-reel plays, but stressed the necessity of recalibrating during their two-day break.
“At this point in the season, you have to move on,” he stated.
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AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Source: apnews.com