Defending champion Panthers still embracing 'underdog role' - ESPN

EDMONTON, Alberta — Matthew Tkachuk believes the reigning champion Florida Panthers are the underdogs in their Stanley Cup Final rematch against the Edmonton Oilers.

«Absolutely. We'll continue riding that underdog role. We have so far,» said the Panthers winger at Tuesday's media day.

The Oilers finished with 101 points in the regular season, three more than the Panthers (98) earned over in the Eastern Conference, to secure home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final, which begins on Wednesday night. Florida defeated Edmonton for the Stanley Cup in seven games last postseason after blowing a 3-0 series lead.

But that didn't earn them favorite status for this rematch. The majority of pundits have superstar Connor McDavid lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time after an Oilers series win. ESPN BET has the Oilers as a -130 favorite to win the Cup.

«They've earned the right to have home ice. They had a better regular season than us, so we're here starting in Edmonton,» said Tkachuk. «It's not something that we're new to. We've started on the road each round in these playoffs. Hopefully we can use that [experience] to our advantage.»

This is the Panthers' third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, having lost to Vegas in 2023 and then winning the Cup in 2024. Tkachuk chuckled when asked how Florida stays motivated with all that success.

«I mean, it's the Stanley Cup. It's the most motivating thing in sports,» said Tkachuk, who has 16 points in 17 games in the playoffs this season. «We're not content with just going to the finals. We want to be a championship caliber team, year in and year out.»

His coach, Paul Maurice, agreed that the Panthers are anything but content with having defeated the Oilers last season.

«I