Oilers advantage? Panthers have long delay in Florida due to weather

The Florida Panthers’ travel plans have been disrupted as they attempt to get to Edmonton for Game 3 and Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.

There has been a monsoon taking place in South Florida the past few days, and it has resulted in the Panthers’ flight to Edmonton being delayed. They were supposed to take off at 11 am MT but have yet to depart. As per Panthers insider George Richards, many players and staff remained at Amerant Bank Arena well past their original flight time.

This monsoon which has impacted South Florida the past two days is affecting the #FlaPanthers flight to Edmonton.

They are delayed, but expect to get there tonight.

Flight scheduled for 1 but many players and staff still at complex. pic.twitter.com/5PX7TQf1qy

— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) June 12, 2024

It has since been reported by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan that the Panthers just took off after several delays. As a result, they won’t get into Edmonton until later this evening.

Hearing the Panthers plane just took off after several delays in South Florida. They won’t get into Edmonton until Wednesday night.

Thursday has an early puck drop, 6:20 MT.

The Oilers flew Tuesday and will get two full nights at home ahead of Game 3.

— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) June 12, 2024

While it may prove to be not that big a deal, this isn’t an ideal scenario for the Panthers, who would have preferred to get in and settled early with Game 3 scheduled for 6 pm MT tomorrow night.

Despite the disruption, the Panthers are still in the driver’s seat of the Stanley Cup Final, as they hold a 2-0 lead over the Oilers. They’ve been able to completely shut down Connor McDavid and company so far, holding them to just one goal.

For the Oilers, this scenario could prove to be the break they were in need of. While it remains to be seen what time the Panthers will get into Edmonton, they may have an opportunity to jump on them early. They’ll also have the energy of their home crowd at Rogers Place to help with that. It’s a game they cannot afford to lose, as going down 3-0 would be a nearly impossible deficit to come back from.

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