Mike McDaniel Gets The Crowd Going At Florida Panthers Game

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel showed off his drumming abilities and got Florida Panthers fans whipped up into a frenzy ahead of Wednesday's Game 4.

The Panthers had the opportunity to sweep the Carolina Hurricanes and stamp their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1996. So, to get everyone ready, the team brought in McDaniels to beat a giant drum and lead some "Let's Go Panthers" chants.

Bonus points to the Panthers' director of game night entertainment who went from McDaniels beating on a taiko drum right into the opening bars of Metallica's "Enter Sandman." That's a classic formula for getting fans frothing at the mouth. Especially when their boys have the chance to sweep.

And sweep they did.

The Cats led 3-2 late into the third period. However, Canes winger Jesper Fast tied the game with under 4 minutes to play.

Things seemed destined for overtime until, Matthew Tkachuk — who already had two OT winners in the series — decided he wanted another GWG, just not of the OT variety.

He managed to sneak one by Carolina's Frederick Andersen with just 4 seconds and change left in regulation.

The Situation Room in Toronto reviewed the goal for goaltender interference, but it ultimately stood.

With that, the Panthers are headed to their second Stanley Cup Finals appearance in franchise history.

Did Mike McDaniel's Drumming Get The Panthers Over The Hump?

So, was it Mike McDaniels doing his best Meg White impression that sealed it for the Cats? Or could it be they are simply this season's team of destiny?

Maybe a bit of both, but I'm leaning toward the latter.

This team simply can't help but win. A sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals would lead you to believe it was a completely lopsided affair. However, anyone who tuned into the games knows that's not the case.

The Hurricanes played pretty well. Every game in this series was won by only one goal. That is to say, had one or two bounces in any of those games gone Carolina's way, this series would certainly be headed back to Raleigh for Game 5. Perhaps even beyond.

Maybe it's the postseason heroics of Matthew Tkachuk, maybe it's Sergei Bobrovsky's stellar goaltending, maybe it's the team's considerable depth, or maybe, in the case of Game 4, it was Mike McDaniel's drumming.

Whatever the reason may be, these Florida Panthers are going to be an absolute handful in the Stanley Cup Finals, and the Golden Knights (yeah, we all know it'll be Vegas at this point; the Stars are dunzo) will need to contend with, even if they did touch the Prince of Wales Trophy.

Buckle up, kids: we're in for a doozy.

Follow on Twitter: @Matt_Reigle