There’s a different vibe around the Panthers’ Stanley Cup push this year

With just one more sleep before the beginning of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, many are looking at one of the teams and how different they are heading into the last round of the playoffs.

When the Florida Panthers came into the Final last year against the Vegas Golden Knights, they were playing the role of giant killers. They entered the playoffs as the second Wild Card in the Eastern Conference, beating the President’s Trophy-winning Boston Bruins in Round 1, before carving their path to the Final for the second time in franchise history.

That is not the case this year. The Panthers won the Atlantic Division with the third-best record in the conference, making easy work of the rival Tampa Bay Lightning, before eliminating the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers in six games each.

Along with the results, there is a sense of confidence within the team that this greater than last spring.

On Friday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk explain the feeling around the Panthers heading into Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers.

Frank Seravalli: I think the most amazing part of the Florida Panthers’ story this season is that this was supposed to be a transition year. They loaded up a couple of years ago…they won the President’s Trophy, and they lost in disappointing fashion.

Instead, they’re here for another chance at winning the Stanley Cup. It tells you how good this core is. It tells you how this group isn’t going anywhere. That’s why I don’t think they feel any pressure. They’re a good team, they have a window for a while. In fact, maybe this team even gets better this summer because they’re going to have money coming off the books.

You can watch the full segment, and entire episode here…