Video reveals Panthers coach Paul Maurice's ruthless strategy to beat Edmonton Oilers
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
The Florida Panthers are a well-oiled machine team going up against an Oilers team with a much higher talent ceiling, so it's clear that Paul Maurice will be demanding his team to win the physical battle.
The Panthers beat the Oilers in last year's Cup Final after a few disappointing efforts early in the series, and some shutdown defence against weakened and injured Oilers players. This year, the strategy will be the same.
Video shows Paul Maurice's ruthless coaching strategy to beat Edmonton Oilers
In a resurfacing video of Paul Maurice behind the bench in an earlier series against Boston, the Panthers coach literally told his players to ignore making plays - and just start trying to injure the other team.
Now you want to make plays? F*** the plays! Pound their f****** [defence]. So in Game 7, they have nothing left!
- Paul Maurice
- Paul Maurice
This video is truly a lift behind the curtain for a Panthers team who has a reputation for injuring the opposition at an incredible rate. Sam Bennett alone is a player responsible for numerous playoff injuries, and he'll be playing a key role in this series.
To a degree, the Panthers know they can't contain the skill of McDavid playing fully clean defence. They'll have to engage him physically, and weaken the rest of the team around him.
Last year's Oilers were heavily beaten and battered by the time they arrived to the Cup Final - Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were both believed to be playing through significant injury.
Both of them could be playing through issues now too, but they appear to be hiding it well. Two series with only 10 games total helps with rest as well.
| POLL | ||
MAI 30 | 1116 ANSWERS Video reveals Panthers coach Paul Maurice's ruthless strategy to beat Edmonton Oilers Will the Panthers Try to physically intimidate the Oilers? | ||
| Yes | 1061 | 95.1 % |
| No | 55 | 4.9 % |
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