SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Invoice Zito didn’t do any important celebrating after the Florida Panthers clinched their third straight journey to the Stanley Cup Ultimate. He acquired some meals and went again to work.
At this level, nobody across the workforce would count on something totally different.
The franchise that would not win a playoff sequence for a quarter-century now could be within the midst of a back-to-back-to-back run to the NHL’s championship spherical. Florida gained 25 playoff video games in its first 28 seasons mixed; the Panthers have gained 41 playoff video games — and counting — of their most up-to-date three seasons.
The novelty of successful presently of 12 months hasn’t worn off, however the Panthers have merely turn out to be used to it now. The principle factor — the Cup — is the principle factor. That’s why after the latest win, beating Carolina on Wednesday night time to complete off the Jap Convention title in 5 video games, there have been no helmets being thrown within the air, no raucous beer-spraying locker room scene, no thick wafts of cigar smoke. A couple of handshakes, one thing to eat, and that was it.
“I feel all people likes it proper when individuals are variety to you and say issues which might be good,” Zito, the workforce’s hockey operations president and basic supervisor, stated earlier than the Panthers flew residence from Carolina on Thursday. “However we discovered. The journey isn’t over and there’s work to do and we have now to be centered on that and maintain your eye on the aim. Don’t let success get in your manner.”
To be honest, for the Panthers, that is unprecedented ranges of success.
They’ve now performed 11 playoff sequence for the reason that begin of the 2023 postseason — their first one with Matthew Tkachuk in a Florida sweater. They’ve gained 10 of these sequence, solely falling within the 2023 remaining to Vegas. They’re 41-21 in playoff video games below coach Paul Maurice and truly have a greater highway report in these video games (23-10) than they do at residence (18-11).
“I didn’t even give it some thought,” Tkachuk stated after the Carolina sequence ended. “Simply reacted how I reacted. I imply, I feel it was totally different just a few years in the past. I keep in mind just a few years in the past it felt like such an accomplishment from the place we have been at one level. I do know we talked about it final 12 months. It’s a part of the journey. And similar manner with this 12 months. It’s all enterprise, and we’ve acquired a much bigger aim in thoughts.”
When the East title sequence ended, Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour paid the Panthers — who gained their first Cup final season — the last word praise.
“They’re the usual now,” Brind’Amour stated.
It has been a very long time for the reason that league has seen a run like this.
Tampa Bay made three straight finals from 2020 by way of 2022 (with two of these seasons shortened by COVID), however no workforce — till now — has navigated three consecutive full common seasons and gotten to the Stanley Cup Ultimate in every of these years since Edmonton from 1983 by way of 1985. By the point this 12 months’s title sequence is over, the Panthers could have performed extra video games in a three-year span than any workforce in NHL historical past.
It’s an accomplishment, for sure. Zito wasn’t fascinated with any of that after the Carolina sequence. There have been journey plans to place collectively, studies to take a look at, someplace between 4 and 7 extra video games left on this season to consider.
”I don’t assume that the elation or the appreciation for the second diminishes,” Zito stated. “I feel maybe the best way it manifests itself, it’s simply channeled otherwise. … That degree of respect and appreciation for the place you’re, in tandem with the starvation, you need to do it once more. You need to do it once more. What can we begin doing now? Don’t cease. Don’t get content material. And people guys, they awoke with 100 texts every from everybody telling them how nice they’re. Everybody did. And it’s not over.”
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