The Florida Panthers have no issue starting the Stanley Cup Final far from home Wednesday.
"We're a super-confident team on the road this year," forward Sam Bennett told NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. "I think we almost prefer it this year. It's a little different, less time at home, but we're up for the challenge."
The Panthers have won five straight road games this postseason and are 8-2 overall outside of Sunrise, outscoring opponents 48-21 in those games. It's a major improvement from their 20-19-2 road record during the regular season.
"You have no distractions," Bennett said of life on the road in the playoffs. "You're just with the team, you're with your guys, and your whole focus is playing hockey. Sometimes that's a little nice. Especially this time of year, it gets a little busy down here with all the excitement, all the family and friends want to come out. Sometimes that can be nice."
The opposing Edmonton Oilers will present a difficult challenge for the Panthers, as they're 6-1 on home ice in the playoffs while averaging 4.71 goals per game. They finished three points clear of Florida in the regular season standings to earn home-ice advantage for the highly anticipated Cup Final rematch.
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said his club will stick to their plans no matter where they play.
"I don't think our game changes a whole heck of (a) lot," he said. "We're not a heavy match team, maybe that's part of it. We've got pretty good forward depth there, so we don't feel that when we get home, and you get home-ice advantage from the match that it's that big a deal."
The Panthers raced to a 3-0 series lead in last year's matchup and ultimately won Game 7 to capture the Cup. This year's version begins Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.