Panthers’ Paul Maurice reveals message to Tomas Nosek after critical Game 1 penalty

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Panthers’ Paul Maurice reveals message to Tomas Nosek after critical Game 1 penalty

Miguel La Torre · ClutchPoints

Thu, Jun 5, 2025 ·

2 min read

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The post Panthers' Paul Maurice reveals message to Tomas Nosek after critical Game 1 penalty appeared first on ClutchPoints .

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice is not about to let one mistake define Tomas Nosek . After the veteran forward took a costly delay of game penalty in overtime , Maurice made it clear that the team is standing behind him.

With less than two minutes remaining in the extra frame of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers , Nosek accidentally flipped the puck over the glass from his own zone. The infraction gave the Oilers a power play, and just over a minute later, Leon Draisaitl buried the game-winner to complete Edmonton's comeback in a 4-3 thriller.

It was a brutal way to lose, but Maurice's postgame message was one of support and perspective. He reminded reporters that the Panthers have been here before.

"You remind him after the game of being down two nothing to Toronto ," he said, referencing Florida's comeback win over the Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Panthers lost the first two games of that series before rallying to win in seven .

Maurice went even further to ensure that Nosek feels the backing of the locker room. "Make sure he doesn't eat alone tonight. That he's got a lot of people sitting at his table reminding him of how good he's been to us," said the veteran coach.

The Panthers had started Game 1 strong . Sam Bennett scored twice and Brad Marchand added a power-play goal to give Florida a 3-1 lead early in the second period.

But the Oilers fought back with goals from Viktor Arvidsson and Mattias Ekholm to even the score. Draisaitl, who also scored just 66 seconds into the game, delivered the dagger in overtime. His goal was his third in sudden death this postseason, tying an NHL record .

Despite the setback, the Panthers remain calm. Their journey to the Finals has been filled with adversity, and they have responded every time. Maurice's message to his team was clear: This is not the time to assign blame; it is the time to rally.

"It's going to be tough when he's going to eat that for a day, but from his penalty kill to that line, really changed the flow of that Toronto series, we're going to remind him of that a whole bunch of times before the puck drops," Maurice said.

Game 2 takes place Friday night in Edmonton. Florida will look to bounce back and remind the hockey world why they are one of the most resilient teams in the postseason.

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