(Las Vegas) It’s the start of the Stanley Cup Finals on a scorching hot Saturday in Las Vegas, but around here the players are trying to pretend that everything is normal.
So, just hours before the first face-off between the Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, members of both teams tried to trick us into believing that this is not another game, another series.
PHOTO LUCAS PELTIER, USA TODAY SPORTS ALEKSANDER BARKOV
“We will have to work hard, began by saying Aleksander Barkov, who was not stingy about the truths. Each match is important, we will have to take them one at a time…”
We also learned that everyone here is going to have their hands full, because it won’t be easy.
“The Golden Knights have gone through the competition in the Western Conference, reminded another Panthers forward, this time Matthew Tkachuk. They have shown the best consistency, much like us since Game 5 of our series against Boston. »
In the Golden Knights camp, we kind of wanted to say the same thing, a question of not motivating anyone, and especially not now.
“We still have work to do,” explained coach Bruce Cassidy. There are guys who have already played in the final but have a feeling of unfinished business… we are not celebrating anything at the moment, because there is still work to be done. »
PHOTO JEROME MIRON, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVES
Nicholas Roy
Nicolas Roy, he admitted that it may be a little different, ultimately.
“We try to keep the same approach, but we won’t lie to each other, the guys are nervous! Admitted the Golden Knights forward. We’ve been dreaming about this since we were young… but we’re going to try to approach it all the same way, as usual. »