Storm forces Panthers plane to leave Florida late

The Stanley Cup Final continues tomorrow evening. The Panthers, who won the first two games in front of their home fans, will be in Edmonton to take on the Oilers tomorrow.

Connor McDavid and his team will probably be hoping that home-ice advantage will give a little boost to a team that, once again, faces adversity.

Of course, after Game #2 on Monday night, the Oilers were quick to return to Edmonton. That said, the Panthers decided to stay in Florida and make the trip today…

And we may be regretting that decision today.

At the moment, there’s a huge storm in Florida, so many flights have been cancelled since yesterday. In particular, the Panthers flight was grounded for quite some time today, having been scheduled to leave around 1 p.m. Eastern time.

It finally left in the final minutes, but the Panthers will arrive in Alberta much later than planned.

The flight from Florida to Edmonton has taken off – the #FlaPanthers are on their way to arrive tonight, where they’ll stay at the JW Marriott Edmonton ICE District, a hotel many players are familiar with from the bubble.

Including Carter Verhaeghe, who won the cup in 2020.

– Brennan Klak (@nhlupdate) June 12, 2024

What’s important to remember is that this final is the one in NHL history where the distance between the two opponents is the greatest.

The journey is already long enough, and the weather doesn’t help.

Going the distance. pic.twitter.com/7igAmNci3i

– Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 12, 2024

Right now, the Oilers must be thinking they’ve made an excellent decision by heading home as soon as possible. While they’re comfortably ensconced in their facilities, the Panthers are seeing their plans turned upside down.

Paul Maurice noted that he didn’t want to rush his players by leaving early yesterday morning… but that might have made things easier down the road.

We’ll see if this delay has an impact on the Panthers’ energy levels tomorrow night, but clearly, the Oilers wouldn’t say no to a little help from the weather.

All’s fair in the playoffs, as they say.

Overtime

– Considering they’ll still be on the plane, it’s not likely to happen.

The NHL had scheduled a Florida Panthers media availability for approx 6 p.m. local time in Edmonton. Nothing official from the league yet, but it seems likely to be cancelled due to the team’s travel issues.

It will be an evening arrival, at best, for Florida before Game 3.

– Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 12, 2024

– Interesting stuff.

Anaheim Ducks scout Stéphane Pilote sets the table for the draft, and talks about the reality of the combine, in Le Retour des sportifs.

Full segment: https://t.co/Yk1OLwtkIG#AnaheimDucks #Hockey #NHL #NHLDraft #LNH #RepechageLNH pic.twitter.com/hF69cXCl8X

– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) June 12, 2024

– Still.

Lowest Oilers p% by opponent in the regular season:

.000 – Vancouver Canucks
.000 – Florida Panthers
.000 – Tampa Bay Lightning
.333 – Dallas Stars

Edmonton is really facing their demons on this run. pic.twitter.com/roOSazOBSx

– Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) June 12, 2024

– Messi doesn’t see himself leaving Miami.

The star player explained that he hopes to finish his career at Inter Miami, without giving a precise deadline. https://t. co/Eco5OoB4Sk

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) June 12, 2024

– Enjoy.

TWO PRIORITIES FOR MONTREAL

With @Olivier_Brett, we discussed short-term priorities for CF Montréal.

I’d be curious to hear what you have to say on the subject.#CFMTL

Audio:https://t.co/Bh7csT7Xe0

– Nilton Jorge (@NiltonJorge) June 11, 2024