Panthers see positives of long wait before Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers will have more than a week off before they begin the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Cup Final will start Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (8 p.m. ET; TNT, TBS, truTV, CBC, SN, TVAS) after the Golden Knights won 6-0 against the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final on Saturday. The Final could have begun Wednesday but was pushed back after Dallas defeated Vegas 4-2 in Game 5 this past Saturday, avoiding elimination for the second straight game.

"We just have a plan now of what we're going to do the next few days here before we travel," Florida defenseman Marc Staal said. "So, everyone knows what we've got the next few days, and we'll prepare as best we can and go from there. So, it just gets a little more structured if we know what we're doing and prepare that way."

By the time Game 1 arrives, it will have been 10 days since the Panthers swept the Carolina Hurricanes with a 4-3 win in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final on May 24.

Although the concern regarding staying sharp might be valid, Florida coach Paul Maurice said he preferred the idea of his players getting additional time to recover from the wear and tear of the Carolina series, which featured four games decided by one goal, starting with a quadruple overtime victory in Game 1.

"None of the things that you would normally have wanted to have happen has happened to us and they all turned out good, so be careful what you wish for," Maurice said. "So, we've just decided not to wish for anything, just take what it is. The positive for us is we do have players that are healing.

"That quadruple overtime game (3-2 win on May 18), there was a cost to it for both teams, and I don't think that you get to recover from that until the series is over. … It's a big block of time off and how do you stay sharp, but I would take the rest over worrying about how sharp we're going to be in Game 1."

The Panthers didn't practice Sunday after skating on Saturday. Eetu Luostarinen didn't participate in that session after the forward was injured in the second period of Game 4. Forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Nick Cousins and defenseman Aaron Ekblad also didn't skate.

Maurice said that all players should be available for the start of the Final.

"Recovery is the key," he said. "That is a better word than rest. We want to be actively involved in that recovery. We're mindful of almost being on the ice too much at this time will flatten you out more than keep you sharp. You want to be on the ice and intense and excited about skating, so recovery on our off days from the work from the day before (is important) and then you want to keep the mental excitement of being on the ice."

Staal said he wasn't concerned about the team being ready for Game 1 despite the long layoff.

"I mean, it's Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, you're gonna have some nerves and you're gonna have some excitement ," he said. "We'll prepare the right way (and) our energy level will be right. Maybe a little bit rusty in certain aspects, but we'll be ready to play."