$69,000,000 Panthers forward makes bold admission on Oilers' home ice advantage in Stanley Cup Finals

Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart shared a surprisingly honest take about the value of home-ice advantage. The Panthers are preparing to face the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year, with Game 1 set for Wednesday.

Speaking on Spittin’ Chiclets podcast's Episode 566, Reinhart, who signed an eight-year, $69 million contract last year (as per Spotrac), spoke about the pressure that comes with playing at home.

"No one's gonna sit here and tell you that they don't want home ice," Reinhart said. [59:12] "Everyone wants home ice. We would take home ice over the road any given series. I think there's a factor to it that people don't realize as much, you go in on the road - it's almost like holding serve. The pressure kind of shifts to that home team.

"You know, certainly in some markets, it's harder than others. We always say tighter, better kind of, you know, going into the first or the second... the more comfortable you could be in those situations, the better off you'll be.

Reinhart emphasized that Florida feels confident no matter where they play:

"You know, at the end of the day, it's the same ice where we feel comfortable no matter where we are."

Florida enters the finals having beaten the Oilers last year in seven games. This time, Edmonton has home-ice advantage and is looking for revenge. The Panthers, meanwhile, are aiming to become the first team since the late ‘70s Canadiens to beat the same team in back-to-back finals.

Reinhart plays on Florida’s top line with Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe. He has scored 13 points in 15 playoff games, which includes four goals. So, Florida looks ready, despite not having the crowd behind them at Rogers Place.

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is ready for the SCF

Aleksander Barkov said the Panthers are ready for the Stanley Cup Final. After resting in Florida, the team is focused again.

“Ready to go, for sure,” Barkov said on Monday, via NHL.com. “We’ve been waiting for a little bit here... it starts to feel like, alright, let’s get it going.”

They know what to expect on the road and feel comfortable in that setting. Forward Sam Bennett said they accepted early that they would likely be the road team throughout the playoffs.

"We’re a super-confident team on the road this year," Bennett said. "... we’re up for the challenge."

So, despite being on the road, the Panthers are feeling confident going into Game 1 in Edmonton.