"This feels like a bad omen" "They should let him suit up": NHL fans react to Roberto Luongo reportedly banging Panthers' drum for Game 7

The Florida Panthers are under extreme pressure after losing three straight games in the Stanley Cup Final. After leading 3-0, they now face a do-or-die situation.

Amidst the tension, NHL insider Andy Slater reported that former goaltender Roberto Luongo will bang the ceremonial drum for the Florida Panthers ahead of Game 7.

"Roberto Luongo is scheduled to bang the Florida Panthers’ drum before tonight’s Stanley Cup Final Game 7, multiple sources tell me."

[Andy Slater] Roberto Luongo is scheduled to bang the Florida Panthers’ drum before tonight’s Stanley Cup Final Game 7, multiple sources tell me. byu/Duffleman0609 inhockey

The announcement was shared on Reddit, where fans gave their opinions.

"This feels like a bad omen," one fan said.

Comment byu/Duffleman0609 from discussion inhockey

"They should let him suit up," another fan shared.

Comment byu/Duffleman0609 from discussion inhockey

"Look people can meme him for his own choking, but there's nobody else I would rather cope with than probably the most beloved player in franchise history lol," a fan said.

Here are some more reactions from fans on X:

"I gotta say, seeing a picture of him in his gear and reading "Roberto Luongo is scheduled to..." really had my imagination going for a second there," a fan said in jest.

"They're brining Luongo, who lost game 7 Stanley Cup final to inspire them to win game 7! 🤔 Jokes aside, good to see Bobby Luo again," another fan said.

"Luongo is THE Florida Panther. The perfect person to get the arena hyped. Do it for Lu <3," one fan remarked.

Kyle Okposo will play for the Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final

Kyle Okposo, at 36 years old, will fulfill a childhood dream by stepping into Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final for the Florida Panthers. He replaces Nick Cousins, who sat out of Game 6 after playing in the first five games of the series without registering a point.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice said his decision was based purely on Okposo's performance in recent games.

"It was solely hockey based, but a difficult thing to do to take a Game 7 away from someone because it's such a rare thing," Maurice said. "Nick is so incredibly loved by his teammates. I just felt that looking back at the three previous games our team played, I liked the games that Kyle played slightly better than Nick's. It wasn't bad. It wasn't an obvious mistake or reason."

Okposo is expected to play on the fourth line alongside Kevin Stenlund and Ryan Lomberg.