Pressure? What pressure? That is the attitude of the Florida Panthers are they prepare for their third chance to close out the Stanley Cup Final on Friday at the Edmonton Oilers. The Panthers appeared well on their way to claiming the first championship in franchise history while winning the first three games of the best-of-seven series, but have dropped the last two games, the latest Tuesday's 5-3 loss in Sunrise, Fla. The Panthers are doing their best to remain calm about the moment, knowing full well the screws will tighten if they drop this game and head to a deciding Game 7 at home.
"Go up there and we've got to win one game," forward Evan Rodrigues said. "That's our mindset and that's what we're going to do." That said, the Panthers are not sticking with status quo.
Coach Paul Maurice appears set to make a couple of changes based on Thursday's practice. Left winger Carter Verhaeghe, in need of an offensive jolt, skated on the top line while fellow left winger Rodrigues switched spots and was moved to the second line. As well, forward Nick Cousins received a present on his 31st birthday with news he will be back in the lineup in place of Kyle Okposo on the fourth line.
Cousins had been a healthy scratch for the past eight postseason games. "Those guys that have kind of come in and out of the lineup, you can just tell that it's not easy for them," Maurice said. "But in their off-time, and being under less game intensity, they come back in and they're jacked.
" Whether thos.