Can Florida Panthers overcome the odds to win Stanley Cup after mirroring 2021 Montreal Canadiens' run so far?

The Florida Panthers have failed to replicate their dominance against the Vegas Golden Knights in the series' first two games of the finals.

The Panthers' next two games are at home, and they can utilize that home advantage to stage a comeback. To turn their fortunes around, the Cats will need to come up with a better job at defending while not giving up powerplays to Vegas.

Sergei Bobrovsky, who has carried his team throughout the playoffs, has gone cold in the first two games. It is now high time for the goalie to rediscover his form and step up for his team, as he did before the finals.

The unexpected collapse of the Panthers in the finals has sparked a debate among hockey fans on Reddit. Many fans have compared the Cats' run identically to that of the Montreal Canadiens in 2021.

When comparing both teams' runs to the finals, the goaltenders played an instrumental role in their respective teams' success. However, during the finals, the Canadiens' goalie fell short, mirroring the situation that the Panthers are currently in.

Parallels between 2021 Habs - Same result? by u/snark_enterprises in nhl

One interesting point to consider in the discussion is that both the Montreal Canadiens and the Florida Panthers made it to the playoffs after failing to secure the top 16 spots in their respective campaigns. Furthermore, after going down 3-1 in the first four games, both teams went on to win their Round 1 series.

Both the Panthers and the Canadiens won their subsequent round games with a sweep after defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Montreal Canadiens were defeated in five games by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup final.

While the Florida Panthers are down 2-0 to the Vegas Golden Knights in the finals. Only five teams have come back from a 2-0 deficit to win the Stanley Cup since the NHL changed the format to best-of-seven series.

The task is difficult but not impossible, and the Cats are confident they can complete it.

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Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is confident of making a comeback

2023 NHL Stanley Cup Final - Game Two

The Panthers will host the first Stanley Cup Final game in South Florida since 1996. The region's fans are excited, and the Cats have a great opportunity to make a comeback in the next two games at home.

The Florida Panthers have faced a similar situation in the playoffs before, most notably in the Round 1 series against the Boston Bruins. The Cats are confident that they will achieve the same results against the Vegas Golden Knights.

"Boston is a good example," Panthers center Aleksander Barkov said Wednesday. "We were down. We found a way. We started playing a little better and we found a way to come back and get out of there. So same thing here. We've just got to work a little harder. We've got to work a little smarter in the ways to win games."

Game 3 takes place on Thursday at the FLA Live Arena in Florida.