Monday night’s Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers certainly lived up to its billing.
The series between the two teams back in June was a rollercoaster ride, with Edmonton crawling back from a 3-0 hole before falling in Florida in Game 7. The first meeting since was no different, as the lead changed multiple times before the Panthers escaped with a 6-5 victory.
While many Oilers said this is a new season and this is just another test against a high-quality opponent, everyone knew that wasn’t the case. Coming one game from reaching your ultimate goal and seeing your opponent get to celebrate as you imagined you would is the type of sting that doesn’t just go away after a few weeks or months.
Emotions got the best of the Oilers a few times throughout their rematch against the Panthers. Darnell Nurse was called for tripping late in the first period and he was handed another two-minute unsportsmanlike penalty for arguing with the ref. Head coach Kris Knoblauch knows that’s a battle a player won’t often win.
“You’re not doing yourself any favours yelling at the referee,” Knoblauch said after the game. “You’re either going to take another penalty or maybe a (10-minute misconduct). And if you’re not going to the box, it’s more likely that you’re upsetting the referee and he’s going to call another penalty later in the game. No matter who you are, it doesn’t help you at all yelling at the referees.”
The Oilers were able to kill off most of that four-minute penalty but Matthew Tkachuk scored with just a few seconds left. The pesky winger parked himself in front of the net and had a puck bounce off his skate and past Stuart Skinner. Fans in Edmonton expected to see the goal called back for a kicking motion but the home side didn’t get their way.
The Panthers carried a 2-1 lead into the first intermission and then the Oilers grabbed the lead and were up 4-3 heading into the third frame. Though the team settled in and didn’t take any penalties during the final 20 minutes of play, the Oilers had some blunders that we haven’t seen during their recent stretch.
A few minutes into the third, there was a scuffle in front of the benches that pulled all of Edmonton’s forwards out of the play despite the puck still being deep in the defensive zone. Evan Bouchard didn’t have anybody to pass it to and the Panthers forced a turnover and tied the game.
While fans and players alike might want to pin this loss on calls that should or shouldn’t have been made by the refs, the Oilers ultimately blew an opportunity to win because they didn’t execute for 60 minutes.
“Bad mistakes,” Knoblauch said when asked what went wrong in the loss. “Whether it was the defence not getting the puck out or them not being supported, line changes when they shouldn’t have been. Just some costly mistakes that shouldn’t happen.”
Edmonton hasn’t dropped back-to-back games since their road trip through Eastern Canada back in mid-November. They’ll host the Boston Bruins on Thursday with the expectation of getting back into the win column.
“I think the sense of urgency goes up,” captain Connor McDavid said following the loss to Florida. “We talked about not letting losses turn into two, three, or four games. You gotta respond. We always have and I would expect the same on Thursday.”
