FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Panthers coach Paul Maurice sat behind a microphone again on Wednesday, giving his daily news conference even though basically nothing new had happened in the 13 hours between then and the last time he spoke to reporters.

He took a bunch of questions. He also had one to ask.

“How can I be the only person in a decent mood here today?” Maurice asked, sort of rhetorically, sort of seriously.

Yes, the Panthers have lost their last two games and gotten embarrassed in one of them. Yes, they’ve wasted two chances to win the Stanley Cup. Yes, a 3-0 lead in the title series against the Oilers is down to 3-2, after the Panthers lost Game 5 on home ice 5-3 on Tuesday night. Yes, Game 6 is in Edmonton on Friday night and, yes, Oilers star Connor McDavid just had back-to-back games the likes of which have never been seen in the Cup final before.

No, that doesn’t mean the Panthers are worried about wilting under pressure.

“You’re going to think I’m lying to you,” Maurice said. “I’m more comfortable. I understand the feeling of 3-2 because most series are like that; 3-0 is more of an aberration, isn’t it? Pressure. I think we think about these things possibly differently and I’m not sure I would agree with the assessment that the pressure has shifted so heavily to us.”

Forget the on-ice matters for a moment. Just about every historical stat that Maurice can show his team says the trends over time show that the Panthers should be liking their chances:

— The Panthers won Game 1. Game 1 winners win the Cup 76% of the time.

— They led the series 2-0. Teams in that situation win the Cup at a 91% rate.

— They led the series 3-0. The Cup rate there: 96%.

— They led 3-1. Cup rate in that situation: 97%.

— They lead 3-2. Cup rate in that situation: 81%. After getting outscored 13-1 from late in Game 3 to basically midway through Game 5, after losing 8-1 in their last trip to Edmonton and falling at home on Tuesday night, the Panthers still lead the series. Nobody, if offered the chance to be in this spot on the first day of camp back in the fall, would have declined.

“It’s still 3-2,” Maurice said.

Sure, the Oilers have done what they must do. They have fended off elimination twice. They have sent the series back to Alberta and will have a chance in front of their own rowdy, delirious, Cup-starved fans to try to force the ultimate — a Game 7 — in Florida that would be played Monday night. The Panthers are tipping their caps, yet they still believe they can make the change they need to finish this thing off.

“I think we were gripping the sticks a little tight,” Panthers forward Sam Bennett said after Game 5. “We wanted it a little too bad tonight. ... We’ve just got to win one game. Simple as that.”