Paul Maurice hints at first lineup change in nearly a month.

The Florida Panthers are coming off of arguably the toughest loss they have suffered since the 2023 Stanley Cup Final when they lost by a score of 9-3 in Game 5 of that series.

It was the first loss the Panthers had suffered in nearly a months time and it left many wondering how the Panthers would respond to such a lopsided victory, an 8-1 thrashing at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.

Paul Maurice has largely stuck with the same lineup during these Stanley Cup playoffs and hasn't changed a thing during the Panthers' weeks long playoff winning streak, but that may no longer be the case. On Monday morning, the National Hockey League's own Dan Rosen noticed a subtle change during the Panthers morning practice, one that indicates that Maurice may make his first lineup change in nearly a months time.

According to Rosen If we do see a change for Game 5 it will be to the Panthers' fourth line, with veteran forward Ryan Lomberg potentially stepping into the lineup. Obviously if Lomberg does get added to the lineup that means someone will have to be scratched, and according to Rosen it would seem as though Steven Lorentz is the most likely candidate in that regard.

Regardless of what the Panthers do in terms of making changes to their lineup, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch has indicated he expects a much different team come Game 5 in Florida than the one we saw during Game 4 in Edmonton.

"They are gonna respond, they are gonna be much more prepared for Game 5 than they were for Game 4," acknowledged Knoblauch following Game 4.