Florida Panthers GM Flips His Lid, Tosses Water Bottle After Getting Dominated By Oilers
No one blew a fuse harder than Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito after the team failed to close out the Stanley Cup Final at home.
Zito expressed pure disgust at the Panthers' stunning defeat on Tuesday.
The Florida Panthers held a 3-1 series advantage coming into Game 5, with a chance to win the Stanley Cup at home in Sunrise, Florida.
Instead, the Panthers allowed the Edmonton Oilers to escape with a win at Amerant Bank Arena, push the series to six games and regain momentum with their 5-3 win.
SUNRISE, Fla. - Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid scores the 3rd goal during the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, Game 5 between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers on June 18, 2024 at Amerant Bank Arena. (Photo by Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SUNRISE, Fla. - General manager Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers speaks to the media during Media Day prior to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 7, 2024. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
Panthers general manager Bill Zito flipped his lid when Oilers star Connor McDavid scored an empty-net goal. He went berserk and hurled a water bottle, knowing the Panthers were done for the evening. Zito's also not a fan of Dasani, like the rest of us.
WATCH:
After the loss on Tuesday, Florida veteran forward Sam Bennett shared that the Panthers desperately wanted to cap the series on Tuesday, and are now disappointed by the result.
Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said, via Larry Brown Sports, that the team doesn't view Friday's Game 6 as a ‘do-or-die’ stage.
"It's not an elimination game for us," Tkachuk shared. "We are going up there. We have a 3-2 series lead. We've just got to take care of business like we did in Game 3."
SUNRISE, Fla. - Evan Rodrigues of the Florida Panthers scores against Goaltender Stuart Skinner of the Edmonton Oilers in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final at the Amerant Bank Arena on June 18, 2024. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
(Can the Panthers close out the series in six games? Or will Edmonton push for a Game 7? Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com)
Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
Send a message: alejandro.avila@outkick.com