Kyle Okposo Has A Hilarious Reason For Being Happy To Be In Panthers' Lineup For Game 5

Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers is slated for Thursday night, and just like he was in Game 4, veteran forward Kyle Okposo will be in the Panthers' lineup.

And he's very excited that he doesn't have to spend another game in the press box at Madison Square Garden.

Okposo is in his 17th NHL season and was dealt to the Panthers earlier this season in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres, and that meant that for the first time in a loooooong time, Okposo is with a legitimate Cup contender.

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So far, he has 2 assists in 9 games this postseason but was a healthy scratch in the first three games against the Rangers.

This meant that Okposo — who started his career in the area with the New York Islanders — had to sit in the press box, which is easy for fans to sit near.

And apparently, some Blueshirts fans were chirping Okposo during Games 1 and 2 about being a healthy scratch, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo.

I mean, can you blame him? Being a healthy scratch during the postseason is already not fun, now throw in some Blueshirts fans giving you grief and that's really not fun.

Okposo played only a little more than 8 minutes in Game 4 and it will be interesting to see if that increases or if he can make an impact out on the ice.

It could happen, this series — just like the Western Conference Final — has been pretty unpredictable at times.

It'll also be interesting to see if Game 5 winds up going to overtime. If you were to bet on it, looking at recent trends, it's probably not a bad idea to think it will. Games 2, 3, and 4 all needed an extra-frame.