The Panthers left searching for confidence after losing Game 6 in the Cup Final

Edmonton – The Florida Panthers’ lead in the Stanley Cup Final is over. And their confidence seems to be the same.

The Panthers went straight to work on their mental state in the locker room meeting after their 5-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 at Rogers Place on Friday, but at this point, they must feel like they’re trying to stop a giant snowball rolling against them. Edmonton has won three straight games to even the best-of-7 series and force a Game 7 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Monday (8 p.m.; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC).

“Well, if you walked into the room right now, there wouldn’t be a lot of happy people,” Panthers coach Paul Morris said. “I’m not worried [the players’ mental state] Tonight. It doesn’t have to be okay tonight. You’ve suffered defeat, you feel it, it hurts. You’re licking your wounds, and we’ll start rebuilding this tomorrow.

“But who you are tonight means nothing about who you will be two days from now.”

In the space of one week, the Panthers went from on the verge of earning their way to their first championship to the brink of joining the 1942 Detroit Red Wings in ignominious Stanley Cup Final history. The Red Wings are the only previous team to lose in a best-of-7 Cup final after winning the first three games, losing the last four to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Oilers actually join the 1945 Red Wings (versus the Maple Leafs) and 1942 Maple Leafs as the only teams to force a Game 7 in a best-of-7 Cup Final after losing the first three games.

A determined Panthers team that was on a mission to win the Cup for the first time after losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the Finals last season has disintegrated in the past three games. After outscoring the Oilers 11-4 in winning their first three games, they have been outscored 18-5 in losing three straight.

They still have one chance to save the series and avoid disgrace, but they will need to regroup and find a way to regain their composure.

“We just had a short chat with the team. I think we still feel good,” said Panthers forward Eto Luostarinen. “We know what to do. “We put ourselves in that position, so we came home excited to play the next game.”