Former Oilers winger Georges Laraque went in on the Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk for his bold statement before Game 5. Before Tuesday’s game, Tkachuk’s confidence shone through as he boldly claimed the Panthers would look to wrap things up against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5.
However, his statement seemed to have brought bad luck, as the Cats ended up losing 5-3 to the Oilers in Game 5. Georges Laraque didn’t hold back in responding to Matthew Tkachuk’s statement after the game.
The former Oilers defenseman took to X/Twitter and roasted Tkachuk’s prediction of winning Game 5 and compared it to Mark Messier’s guarantee.
“Why doesn’t anyone talk about Tkachuk who said they would win game 5? Bruh, don’t try to copy Messier! You will chew on that mouthpiece for awhile!” Laraque wrote on X.
Tkachuk may have tried to channel Mark Messier’s confidence, but the outcome was quite different. Messier famously guaranteed a win in 1994, when the New York Rangers were trailing in a crucial Game 6 against the archrival New Jersey Devils.
Messier’s bold statement made headlines; he declared,
“We’re going to go in there and win Game 6. We know we’re going to go in and win Game 6 and bring it back for Game 7,” Messier said then (via NY Post).
The Blue Shirts fulfilled Messier’s guarantee by winning Game 6, in which Messier himself scored a hat trick in the third period, forcing a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. The New York Rangers eventually won their first Cup since 1940 after defeating the Vancouver Canucks in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final.
Matthew Tkachuk makes an epic save in Game 5
Tkachuk pulled off a worldie save in Game 5. In the dying seconds of the final period, the Panthers forward came in clutch with a world-class save.
The Florida Panthers went all-in, pulling Sergei Bobrovsky from the net for an extra skater. As the Oilers went for the shot from the other end, Matthew Tkachuk had to hustle back and make a diving slide just inches before the puck could cross the line.
Here’s the video of the save:
However, fate had other plans as the puck found its way to Connor McDavid, who capitalized on the empty net opportunity, sealing the 5-3 victory with less than 20 seconds remaining.
Meanwhile, Matthew Tkachuk finally ended his drought against the Oilers with a two-point game on the night. Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final returns to Rogers Place on Friday.
