There is just one game left in the Stanley Cup Finals, featuring the Edmonton Oilers against the Florida Panthers. The decisive game will be played on Monday night, with the Oilers potentially achieving an extraordinary comeback by winning the Stanley Cup after trailing 0-3.
The Panthers’ early morning practice on the eve of Game 7 suggests their readiness, but the absence of star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and Aaron Ekblad from Sunday morning’s practice could boost the Oilers’ chances, despite the daunting challenge ahead.
Regarding Ekblad, as noted by Tom Gulitti in his tweet, he has recently been skipping practice days but still participates in morning workouts on game days. This has been a routine occurrence for him. In contrast, Bobrovsky’s absence from practice is unusual since he typically leads the team onto the ice. At today’s practice, Anthony Stolarz and Spencer Knight were the two goaltenders present.
Joshua Mahura filled in for Ekblad during today’s practice session. Despite these notable absences on the eve of the final game of the Stanley Cup Final, there is no cause for alarm. Bobrovsky has been performing excellently in goal throughout the playoffs, aside from the last two games, and could benefit from a day of rest.
According to Stephen Whyno’s clarification following Paul Maurice’s press conference after practice, there is reassurance that both Bobrovsky and Ekblad will be playing in Game 7. Paul Maurice also clarified after practice that the Russian goaltender doesn’t normally practice the day before playoff games.
