No matter what, the Panthers will make history tonight.

Why it matters: A win would mean the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup.

Yes, but: A loss would make Florida the second team ever — and the first in more than 80 years — to blow a 3-0 lead in the final.

Catch up quick: After beginning the series against Edmonton with a shutout victory, the Panthers cruised in Game 2 and won a hard-fought Game 3.

• On the precipice of a championship, they took an 8-1 thrashing by the Oilers on the road in Game 4.
• The team looked outclassed in the next two games, including on home ice in Game 5. Now, the series comes down to Game 7 at Amerant Bank Arena.

⏮️ Flashback: The only reverse sweep in Stanley Cup Final history came in April 1942, with the Toronto Maple Leafs coming back from the brink against the Detroit Red Wings.

• FDR was president. The U.S. had entered World War II. And a big-band song by Glenn Miller topped the charts.

To avoid joining those Red Wings in hockey infamy, Florida needs to rediscover the confidence and control it showed throughout the playoffs.

💪 Seeking a hero: The Cats have sorely lacked on offense as the series turned against them. They'll need better play from captain Aleksander Barkov and forward Matthew Tkachuk.

• Sergei Bobrovsky, the team's usually stout goalie, has struggled mightily during the three-game slide. They need a shutdown performance tonight.

😈 The other guy: Oilers center Connor McDavid has been near-unstoppable, with a goal and three assists in Game 4 and two more scores in Game 5.

😰 Stress level: Judging by online videos, Panthers fans are somewhere between distraught and clinging to cautious optimism entering tonight's showdown.

What they're saying: Meanwhile, the players and coaches emerged from a "lengthy" meeting after Friday's loss proclaiming confidence, per ESPN.

• "We need to get ready for the Game 7," Barkov said. "Obviously, no one's happy to lose the game, but that's it. We know we can get better, and we need to get better."

How to watch: Going to Game 7 at Amerant could cost you more than a grand per seat.

• But you can watch from home — where no one can see you squirm — at 8pm on ABC or ESPN+.

Spread the word

Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $32 million for arts and cultural initiatives from the 2024-25 state budget — cuts many in South Florida's arts community call unprecedented and unexpected.

Why it matters: This is the first time the governor has cut funding to the arts, a move that jeopardizes many organizations' current operations and future plans.

• "Something like this could literally be the death knell for some organizations, and succeed in doing what COVID could not," Steven Haines, executive director of the Symphony of the Americas, told the Sun Sentinel.

The other side: In a statement to the Palm Beach Post, a DeSantis spokesperson didn't explain the arts cuts beyond saying the governor's vetoes are made "in the best interest of the state of Florida."

• Asked if she understood the governor's motives, GableStage artistic director Bari Newport told Axios: "I don't have time to question. I have to problem-solve."

Zoom in: The state funding cuts will likely place greater strain on Miami-Dade County, one of the largest funders for arts in the country, Newport told Axios.

• "Many of these arts and cultural institutions are already relying heavily on the county to exist."

Still, she said, "it's not magically happening. We have to apply for every one of those dollars."

State of play: More than 120 Miami-Dade organizations were impacted by vetoes totaling $6.5 million, per the Sun Sentinel.

What they're saying

👀 The former chief of staff for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement alleges DeSantis and state officials pressured him to conduct "unlawful" activity. (Miami Herald)

• He claims he was wrongfully fired for questioning DeSantis' orders, including collecting information on migrants without legal justification.

☕️ Pop star Sabrina Carpenter is skipping Miami on her new tour, but fans can catch her in Orlando and Tampa this fall. (Axios Tampa Bay)

The death of a 7-year-old girl in a sand hole collapse led to a ban on digging deep sand holes at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and increased beach patrols. (CBS 4)

Reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny teamed up with Adidas to drop a new shoe inspired by his home of Puerto Rico.

Details: The Gazelle San Juan, which launched yesterday, was "inspired by the colors of the capital's historic cobblestones, the sea and the beach, as well as the Noche de San Juan," per a press release.

• They are $140.

🏝️ The intrigue: If someone pairs these with Lionel Messi's all-pink Sambas, they could claim to be the ultimate Miami bro.

• Both shoes match the Heat's ViceVersa jerseys.

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👋 Sommer here! On Saturday, I went to Maggie Rogers' concert with a group of pals. It's the third time I'd seen her in concert, but it was still just as magical.

• Still, the best part might've been enjoying the show with Axios Tampa's Kathryn Varn! (That, and that it stopped raining just in time for the show to start.)

Our thought bubble: Sommer's favorite songs were "If Now Was Then" and "Light On." Kathryn's were "Never Going Home" and Maggie's new take on "Alaska."