Panthers Experience Significant Travel Issues En Route to Edmonton for Game 3

Karl Rasmussen | Jun 12, 2024

Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling during the first period against Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Florida Panthers are looking to build upon their strong start to the Stanley Cup Final after winning the first two games of the series against the Edmonton Oilers on their home ice at the Amerant Bank Arena.

With Games 3 and 4 of the series taking place in Edmonton, the team was expected to travel on Wednesday and arrive in Canada in the late afternoon or early evening. Those travel plans were curtailed due to inclement weather in Florida, however, causing some major delays for the Panthers.

After multiple hours of waiting, Florida's plane was finally able to take off for Edmonton. Of course, that will grant them significantly less time to prepare for puck drop on Thursday, which is set for 8 p.m. EST.

JUST IN: The Florida Panthers plane has taken off.

Next stop: Edmonton https://t.co/WkbeyFCnre

— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) June 12, 2024

The team was initially expected to fly out at around 1 p.m. EST, but heavy rain along the flight path prevented the plane from taking off. Instead, they were forced to find an alternative route, delaying them nearly three hours before they were able to begin their near six-hour voyage to Edmonton.

They'll arrive in Canada with less than 24 hours until puck drops for Game 3. For comparisons sake, the Oilers flew out of South Florida on Tuesday, giving them a full extra day of preparations.