Panthers are used to having backs to wall

SUNRISE, Fla. — The Panthers need a miracle. Again.

Such is the story of Florida’s season, and it makes all the sense in the world that the plot has reappeared in the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers needed a furious late-season push to get in the playoffs as the lowest seed, then needed to win three straight elimination games to oust a recordsetting Boston team in Round 1.

Another huge challenge awaits. Down 2-0 in the title series to Vegas, the Panthers return to home ice Thursday night looking to spark one more epic rally and get back in the hunt for hockey’s biggest prize.

“Desperation and winning a game,” Florida defenseman Marc Staal said. “We’ve approached every game in the playoffs the same way. We just try to take it — like everyone says — one at a time. But our backs are against the wall, obviously. We’re down by two. But we’re coming home. Love our team, love our resiliency. We’re going to go out and give our best effort and play our best game tomorrow and go from there.”

To say odds are stacked against the Panthers is an understatement.

■ They’ve beaten Vegas in four of 12 all-time meetings between the franchises. They have to beat them in four of the next five to win the Cup.

■ They’ve been outscored, 10-2, in the last four periods against Vegas.

■ Matthew Tkachuk has two more misconduct penalties (three) than he has points (one, a goal) in the series.

■ Former Panthers Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith have as many goals in the series (four) as all current Panthers combined.

■ Vegas hasn’t lost four of five since going 1-2-2 to start a six-game trip that began in late January.

■ Teams that start a Stanley Cup Final with two home wins have won the Cup 38 times in 41 past instances.

Florida’s penchant for pulling off the improbable is well known.

“Of course, we’ve had three really tough series,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “Boston is a good example. We were down, we found a way, we started playing a little better, we found a way to come back and get out of there. Same thing here — we’ve just got to work a little harder, work a little smarter and find a way to win games.”

They’ve done it before.

There was the 6-0-1 stretch to hold off Pittsburgh for the final playoff spot in the East. Then winning three elimination games against a Boston team that had the best regular season in NHL history; Game 5 there was on the road in OT, Game 6 required a rally late in the third to erase a 5-4 deficit, and Game 7 was another road OT victory. There was a fourovertime win at Carolina in the East final, setting the table for a sweep where the Panthers got four one-goal wins and allowed only six goals.

They’ve given up 12 goals in two games against Vegas. And it’s not all on Sergei Bobrovsky.

“He was outstanding in Game 1,” coach Paul Maurice said. “And he was as good as our team was in Game 2.”

Maurice expects defenseman Radko Gudas, who left Game 2 injured, to play Game 3. Forward Eetu Luostarinen will remain out.