The Edmonton Oilers-Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Final is heating up on all fronts.
What looked like a clean sweep for Florida just a few days ago is quickly verging on a sudden-death matchup, and shots are flying from both sides.
Former Oilers enforcer Georges Laraque couldn’t resist taking part in some trash talk after Edmonton’s win in Florida on Tuesday night.
Referencing Panthers player Matthew Tkachuk promising a Florida win ahead of Game 5, Laraque took to social media to remind everyone that the feisty forward’s prediction went south.
“Why doesn’t anyone talk about Tkachuk who said they would win game 5?” Laraque wrote in an X post after the game. “Bruh, don’t try to copy [Mark] Messier! You will chew on that mouthpiece for awhile!”
Why doesn’t anyone talk about Tkachuk who said they would win game 5? Bruh, don’t try to copy Messier! You will chew on that mouthpiece for awhile! 😂🤣 @EdmontonOilers
— Georges Laraque (@GeorgesLaraque) June 19, 2024
Unlike Messier, who successfully guaranteed a New York Rangers win during the 1994 Stanley Cup Final, Tkachuk was forced to eat his words as Connor McDavid led the Oilers to a 5-3 victory with two goals of his own.
Laraque, a member of the 2006 Oilers team that lost in the Cup Final, wasn’t done there, though.
With the Oilers extending the series and sending it back to Alberta, frustrations were high at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday, most notably in the general manager’s box. And after Edmonton popped an empty-netter in to close out the contest, Panthers GM Bill Zito could be seen flinging his water bottle across the room in anger on Sportsnet’s broadcast.
“You will do this in Edmonton also!” Laraque wrote commenting on the video with a prediction of his own.
You will do this in Edmonton also! 😂 https://t.co/f19yIWob39
— Georges Laraque (@GeorgesLaraque) June 19, 2024
We’ll see if he’s correct when Game 6 gets going in Edmonton on Friday night. Puck drop is set for 5 pm PT/6 pm MT/8 pm ET.
Should the Oilers win that one, a winner-take-all Game 7 would take place Monday back down in Florida at the same start time.