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Miami Herald
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Panthers' goal horn didn't work in Game 3 of Cup Final. It's ready to go for Game 4
The Florida Panthers' goal horn is back. After the blaring siren was rendered silent in Florida's 6-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, the horn will be ready and in full force for Game 4 on Thursday at Amerant Bank Arena. Florida Hockey Now reported Monday that the goal horn's absence was due to an electrical issue. The team has a recording of the goal horn but did not start using that until the second period. But the horn was heard in full effect during dress rehearsals ahead of the 8 p.m. puck drop. The horn is used each time the team takes the ice to begin a period, after each goal and following a win. The horn would have been pretty busy on Monday. The Panthers scored six times — their sixth time scoring a half-dozen goals this postseason and second time at home (also a 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final). Brad Marchand, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Evan Rodrigues were the goal scorers.
Miami Herald
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
The Panthers are as healthy as can be. That's key as the Cup Final continues
When the Florida Panthers made their first of what has now become three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final two years ago, they hobbled into the final series. So many key players had major injuries. Their depth wasn't where it needed to be to compensate for the losses. Naturally, they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Fast forward, and see how things have changed. Florida stayed relatively healthy through its Cup Final run last year, which ended with its championship after knocking off the Edmonton Oilers in seven games. And this year? Florida seems to only be getting stronger as the playoffs reach the end. After getting banged up a bit during the Eastern Conference final, with three key players in forwards Sam Reinhart and A.J. Greer plus defenseman Niko Mikkola missing time in that series, the Panthers got back to full strength in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, a 6-1 win against the Oilers to go up 2-1 in the best-of-7 series. 'It's very hard to win a Cup with unhealthy bodies,' Greer said entering Game 4 on Thursday. Now, the Panthers certainly aren't at 100%. No team is at this time of year. 'Everybody manages small things,' as coach Paul Maurice put it. But the fact that Florida is able to roll out its top lineup without any hiccups is only a boost to its chances to repeat. And the Panthers are showing that form throughout the Cup Final. Reinhart, who missed Games 3 and 4 in the Eastern Conference Final after taking a low hit from Carolina's Sebastian Aho, scored a goal and added an assist on Aaron Ekblad's power play goal Monday for his first points of the series. 'His game is getting stronger, quite a bit stronger,' Maurice said. 'He's back to full health now.' Greer, a staple on Florida's fourth line, battled through a lower-body injury throughout the final three games of the conference final. He left Game 3 late after tightening up, didn't play in Game 4 and missed basically all of the third period of the series-clinching Game 5. He then sat out the first two games of the Cup Final before making his series debut in Game 3 on Monday. 'Our medical guys and our training guys did an unbelievable job for me, personally, getting back to where I needed to be 100 percent,' Greer said. 'It's a 24-hour job. When you get hurt, you want to get back as quickly as you can. There were definitely doubts, where I didn't know if I was gonna be playing in the series, and certainly got me emotional when we did win that Eastern Conference game, knowing that I might not be able to play the series. I only missed two games, I'm back at it, and we're in a good position right now.' And then there's star winger Matthew Tkachuk, who missed the final 25 games of the regular season with an apparent groin injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off in mid-February. Maurice eased him back into action at the start of the playoffs, particularly in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but said that Tkachuk is 'back to form now.' Tkachuk has 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 20 games. 'I thought his last game was his best game of the playoffs,' Maurice said. 'He moved right. ... He was out for such a very long time.' But even when Florida wasn't at full strength throughout this postseason run, it had depth it could rely on that it didn't have two years ago. The Panthers have 15 forwards and seven defensemen who are all capable of playing in the lineup on any given night. 'With our depth this year, even when guys are injured or guys are out of the lineup, there's just so much depth on our team that guys can fill in seamlessly and it doesn't change our lineup that much,' center Sam Bennett said. 'That's definitely a huge factor for us.'
Miami Herald
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Going to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final? What to know about pregame entertainment
The Stanley Cup Final series between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers has shifted to Sunrise for the next two games of the best-of-7 series on Monday and Thursday. And beyond the entertainment that should take place on the ice — the first two games have been thrillers, with Game 1 going to overtime (4-3 Edmonton win) and Game 2 going to double overtime (5-4 Florida win) — there will be plenty of excitement and entertainment at Amerant Bank Arena leading up to Game 3's 8 p.m. start time on Monday. Another one While there is no concert outside the arena like there was for Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final last year, the Panthers announced Monday afternoon that DJ Khaled will perform in the arena both pregame and during the first intermission. It's the second consecutive year Khaled has been part of Florida's Stanley Cup Final festivities. He performed outside the arena ahead Game 2 in last season's Cup Final. It's also the second time this postseason the Panthers will have an in-arena performance midgame. Cedric Gervais performed during the first intermission of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes. Adebayo on the drum Meanwhile, Miami Heat star center Bam Adebayo is scheduled to bang the drum pregame prior to opening faceoff. He's the latest big name from South Florida to get things started before a game this playoffs. The running list of those who have banged the drum this postseason: ▪ First round vs Tampa Bay Lightning: Inter Miami midfielder Banjamin Cremaschi (Game 3) and Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (Game 4) ▪ Second round vs Toronto Maple Leafs: Boca Raton-based social media personalities A.J. and Big Justice, former Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle (Game 4) and former Marlins catcher Charles Johnson (Game 6) ▪ Eastern Conference final vs Carolina Hurricanes: rapper Trick Daddy (Game 3) and Dolphins defensive lineman Zach Sieler (Game 4) Rally towels take jabs at previous opponents For every home game this postseason, the Panthers have laid out rally towels for fans to wave throughout the game. Each one generally has a theme or saying that fits into messaging the Panthers have had all season. For Game 3 on Monday, the saying is 'Rats Rule,' featuring a rat with a hockey stick and helmet and a Florida crest on its chest in front of a shield. The Panthers have embraced the rat throughout basically the franchise's entire history, going back to the Year of the Rat in 1996 when they went on to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time. It's become even more ingrained this year with Florida's aggressive style of play, led by agitators Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand. But look closer at the rat itself and you'll notice the logos of the three teams Florida has knocked out in the playoffs to reach the Cup Final for a third consecutive year. A lightning bolt on the rat's left leg. A maple leaf on the rat's right ear. A hurricane flag on the knob of the stick. They're subtle, but give a reminder of the path Florida has taken in its quest to repeat as champions. Getting to the arena For those parking at Amerant Bank Arena, the parking gates open at 5 p.m. and doors to the arena open at 6:30 p.m. Parking is $75 per car.
Hamilton Spectator
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Pacers fail to sweep Games 1 and 2 in a series for the first time in these playoffs
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — For the Indiana Pacers, a chance at being perfect in Games 1 and 2 of these playoffs went awry. They'll have to settle for a mere split of the opening two games in the NBA Finals instead. The Pacers' bid to become the fifth team in NBA history to go 8-0 to open the four playoff rounds — sweeping Games 1 and 2 in all four series — was stopped on Sunday night by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder took control early and won Game 2 123-107 , tying the championship matchup at a game apiece. The Pacers were trying to join the 1986 Boston Celtics, 1987 Los Angeles Lakers, 1996 Chicago Bulls and 2017 Golden State Warriors as teams that won Games 1 and 2 in all four rounds of a single postseason. All four went on to win the NBA title. Those teams all did it with home-court advantage in every one of those series. The Pacers haven't had home court since Round 1 — taking the first two of that series against Milwaukee, then winning the first two of Round 2 at Cleveland, the first two of the Eastern Conference final at New York, and Game 1 of the finals in Oklahoma City. So, in the end, the Pacers have to settle for going 7-1, tying for the fifth-best record in Games 1 and 2 in a single postseason. They also became the third team to win five of those games on the road in a playoff run. Houston went 5-3 in Games 1 and 2 on the road on its way to the title in 1995 and Miami went 5-3 in road games over the first two games of series in 2023 on its way to the NBA Finals. (The Heat were 6-2 in 'road' games in Games 1 and 2 of their series in the 2020 bubble playoffs as well, but those games were all in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.) 'I'm not interested in talking about the past,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'Each day, as you are on a playoff run, is like a new day. I find that looking back is a dangerous thing. We've got to keep our eye firmly where it needs to be.' If the Pacers had won Sunday, they likely would have been overwhelming favorites heading home with a 2-0 lead. Only two teams — the 1993 Chicago Bulls and 1995 Houston Rockets — won the first two games of a finals on the road, and both went on to win the NBA title in those seasons. And teams that open the finals with a 2-0 lead go on to win the series 86.5% of the time (32 times in 37 chances). ___ AP NBA:
Fox Sports
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Pacers fail to sweep Games 1 and 2 in a series for the first time in these playoffs
Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — For the Indiana Pacers, a chance at being perfect in Games 1 and 2 of these playoffs went awry. They'll have to settle for a mere split of the opening two games in the NBA Finals instead. The Pacers' bid to become the fifth team in NBA history to go 8-0 to open the four playoff rounds — sweeping Games 1 and 2 in all four series — was stopped on Sunday night by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder took control early and won Game 2 123-107, tying the championship matchup at a game apiece. The Pacers were trying to join the 1986 Boston Celtics, 1987 Los Angeles Lakers, 1996 Chicago Bulls and 2017 Golden State Warriors as teams that won Games 1 and 2 in all four rounds of a single postseason. All four went on to win the NBA title. Those teams all did it with home-court advantage in every one of those series. The Pacers haven't had home court since Round 1 — taking the first two of that series against Milwaukee, then winning the first two of Round 2 at Cleveland, the first two of the Eastern Conference final at New York, and Game 1 of the finals in Oklahoma City. So, in the end, the Pacers have to settle for going 7-1, tying for the fifth-best record in Games 1 and 2 in a single postseason. They also became the third team to win five of those games on the road in a playoff run. Houston went 5-3 in Games 1 and 2 on the road on its way to the title in 1995 and Miami went 5-3 in road games over the first two games of series in 2023 on its way to the NBA Finals. (The Heat were 6-2 in 'road' games in Games 1 and 2 of their series in the 2020 bubble playoffs as well, but those games were all in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.) 'I'm not interested in talking about the past,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'Each day, as you are on a playoff run, is like a new day. I find that looking back is a dangerous thing. We've got to keep our eye firmly where it needs to be.' If the Pacers had won Sunday, they likely would have been overwhelming favorites heading home with a 2-0 lead. Only two teams — the 1993 Chicago Bulls and 1995 Houston Rockets — won the first two games of a finals on the road, and both went on to win the NBA title in those seasons. And teams that open the finals with a 2-0 lead go on to win the series 86.5% of the time (32 times in 37 chances). ___ AP NBA: recommended
