<p>Prior to this series, I wrote about three thousand words <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/02/edmonton-oilers-florida-panthers-stanley-cup-final-tactical-preview/">on the tactics that each team might employ</a> in their goal to defeat the other team and win the Stanley Cup.</p>
<p></p>
<p>However, in that post, I wrote one little sentence that said this series would likely be determined by the <a href="http://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers&#8217;</a> defence and its ability to withstand the Florida forecheck. Having watched each of the six games at least twice, it is clear I did not emphasize this idea enough.</p>
<p>Yes, the loss of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/03/edmonton-oilers-zach-hyman-opens-up-about-season-ending-injury/">Zach Hyman</a> was a hole that couldn’t be filled. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/08/game-time-decision-edmonton-oilers-ryan-nugent-hopkins-misses-practice-defensive-pairings-shuffle-game-3/">Ryan Nugent-Hopkins</a> playing at less than 100 percent was also an issue. The goaltending instability was also a factor. Some can point at Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and their poor play in the last two games, rightly so.</p>
<p>But the biggest difference in this series was the Edmonton Oilers&#8217; defence group&#8217;s failure to retrieve the puck and exit the zone against Florida. The worst part of this is that it was more about the Oilers&#8217; unenforced errors than the Panthers forcing the mistakes. Not sure I am right? Let’s go to the tape.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2107" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="325"></div>
<h2>What Caught My Eye?</h2>
<h3>The Oilers&#8217; Defence and The Unforced Errors</h3>
<p>When you review the tape of the three goals that really ended this series in Game 6, it is all unforced errors – errors created by the Oilers and seized upon by the Panthers. Even when goals were not scored, the Oilers&#8217; inability to exit led to endurance-wearing shifts for the players on the ice.</p>
<p>In Game 6, it started very early with the pairing of Brett Kulak and Darnell Nurse. It is not a pairing that should have been together, but the coaching staff felt different. That was a mistake. Kulak just could not play on his right side. Watch this clip from early in the game.</p>
<p>I’ve slowed the clip to show the issues for Kulak. He starts by having to kick the puck because his stick is on the inside. Then he is not comfortable trying to bring the puck to his forward, so he makes a weak attempt to get it off the boards and out. It is easily defended by the Panthers, and their zone attack continues.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="EDM FLA GM6 EDM25 27 Play" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B1aaqxTWhCI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>From there, it only got worse. The first goal for Florida is two really poor plays by <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/05/oilers-blueline-even-deeper-with-return-of-veteran-mattias-ekholm/">Mattias Ekholm</a>. This hand grenade of a pass to Evan Bouchard was trouble the minute it was sent two feet in the air. Bouchard is in a tough spot with the forecheck on him immediately. Ekholm then compounds his own error by overcommitting to defending.</p>
<p>He just needs to stay inside and make sure he keeps Reinhart from getting to the middle with the puck. He can do that by taking the body or the puck. He gets neither, and the Panthers are off and rolling.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="EDM FLA GM6 FLA G1" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9-DcXc2hrFg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Back to our favourite pairing of Nurse and Kulak. Again, another tough shift for Kulak. In this sequence, Kulak can move the puck twice for an exit. The first time he completely skates himself into the forecheck after having time and space to avoid the forecheck. The second time is an incredibly weak pass on his backhand, which Jeff Skinner is unable to retrieve.</p>
<p>This play should have been over twice, but instead, the Oilers carry on defending, and this is the end of their Stanley Cup dreams right here.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="EDM FLA GM6 FLA G3" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7dntHhtiTjk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>There is no question that the Florida Panthers have the NHL’s best forecheck. Without a doubt. However, I’m certain when the Oilers review Game 6, I am certain they are going to look at their failures as more of an issue than the Florida forecheck.</p>
<h2>Make The Simple Play</h2>
<p>For most of the series, I wrote about the Oilers&#8217; unwillingness to make simple plays. Too many times, the Oilers just tried to make plays that were not there or where the risk was too high. I thought their play was impatient far too much in this series. Game 6 had more of the same. There are several clips, but I chose just one that was probably the beginning of the end.</p>
<p>The play in question is the Panthers&#8217; second goal. The Oilers get stopped at the Panthers&#8217; blueline on the attack. However, they do a nice job of retrieving the puck and attacking again. Bouchard comes to the blueline with all the play in front of him. There are too many Panthers standing up there, and the play is to chip it in and beat the Panthers to the puck.</p>
<p>Instead, he tries to make a high-risk pass that gets turned over. Now, Florida is on the attack. The Oilers get back into a good position.</p>
<p>Jake Walman has the puck carrier marked, and McDavid comes back hard, but he needs to pull up now and worry about what is behind him. Just assume a standard defensive position. Make a simple play. He does not. Instead, he overcommits to trying to regain the puck, and that leaves the late Panther attacker wide open. 2-0 Panthers.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="EDM FLA GM6 FLA G2" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kfd76fiLP5o?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Two simple plays not made by two top-end Oilers. The result is a goal against. This happened time and time again in the last five games. The Oilers were unwilling to settle for simple plays that lowered the risk level of the game. It was part of the reason the team ended the year watching another team hoist the Stanley Cup.</p>
<h2>The Final Notes</h2>
<p>This team cannot come back in its current form. There are too many players of an age that make injury risk more certain: <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/13/kris-knoblauch-hating-early-penalties-edmonton-oilers-sit-evander-kane/">Evander Kane</a>, Adam Henrique, Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, Corey Perry and others all need to be looked at as replaceable.</p>
<p>The Oilers remain in a situation where they have a hole in the second pairing. Many people will want to chase a right-hand defenceman to play with Nurse. Personally, I would try and move Nurse first. Seth Jones was moved, and his game was rejuvenated. That can happen for Nurse, and the Oilers can use his cap space.</p>
<p>I don’t have an answer for the goaltending. I don’t evaluate goalies because they are voodoo. There is something with Stuart Skinner and this team. I don’t know what it is, but there is a vibe. Whether he is back or not, I have no idea. However, the team needs to sort that out likely before anything else.</p>
<p>That’s it for the Game 6 tactical review. Thanks to everyone for reading.</p>
<p>Enjoy your summer and see you in September.</p>
<hr />
<h2><strong>ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365</strong></h2>
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Prior to this series, I wrote about three thousand words <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/02/edmonton-oilers-florida-panthers-stanley-cup-final-tactical-preview/">on the tactics that each team might employ</a> in their goal to defeat the other team and win the Stanley Cup.



However, in that post, I wrote one little sentence that said this series would likely be determined by the <a href="http://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers'</a> defence and its ability to withstand the Florida forecheck. Having watched each of the six games at least twice, it is clear I did not emphasize this idea enough.

Yes, the loss of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/03/edmonton-oilers-zach-hyman-opens-up-about-season-ending-injury/">Zach Hyman</a> was a hole that couldn’t be filled. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/08/game-time-decision-edmonton-oilers-ryan-nugent-hopkins-misses-practice-defensive-pairings-shuffle-game-3/">Ryan Nugent-Hopkins</a> playing at less than 100 percent was also an issue. The goaltending instability was also a factor. Some can point at Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and their poor play in the last two games, rightly so.

But the biggest difference in this series was the Edmonton Oilers' defence group's failure to retrieve the puck and exit the zone against Florida. The worst part of this is that it was more about the Oilers' unenforced errors than the Panthers forcing the mistakes. Not sure I am right? Let’s go to the tape.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2107" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="325"></div>
<h2>What Caught My Eye?</h2>
<h3>The Oilers' Defence and The Unforced Errors</h3>
When you review the tape of the three goals that really ended this series in Game 6, it is all unforced errors – errors created by the Oilers and seized upon by the Panthers. Even when goals were not scored, the Oilers' inability to exit led to endurance-wearing shifts for the players on the ice.

In Game 6, it started very early with the pairing of Brett Kulak and Darnell Nurse. It is not a pairing that should have been together, but the coaching staff felt different. That was a mistake. Kulak just could not play on his right side. Watch this clip from early in the game.

I’ve slowed the clip to show the issues for Kulak. He starts by having to kick the puck because his stick is on the inside. Then he is not comfortable trying to bring the puck to his forward, so he makes a weak attempt to get it off the boards and out. It is easily defended by the Panthers, and their zone attack continues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1aaqxTWhCI

From there, it only got worse. The first goal for Florida is two really poor plays by <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/05/oilers-blueline-even-deeper-with-return-of-veteran-mattias-ekholm/">Mattias Ekholm</a>. This hand grenade of a pass to Evan Bouchard was trouble the minute it was sent two feet in the air. Bouchard is in a tough spot with the forecheck on him immediately. Ekholm then compounds his own error by overcommitting to defending.

He just needs to stay inside and make sure he keeps Reinhart from getting to the middle with the puck. He can do that by taking the body or the puck. He gets neither, and the Panthers are off and rolling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-DcXc2hrFg

Back to our favourite pairing of Nurse and Kulak. Again, another tough shift for Kulak. In this sequence, Kulak can move the puck twice for an exit. The first time he completely skates himself into the forecheck after having time and space to avoid the forecheck. The second time is an incredibly weak pass on his backhand, which Jeff Skinner is unable to retrieve.

This play should have been over twice, but instead, the Oilers carry on defending, and this is the end of their Stanley Cup dreams right here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dntHhtiTjk

There is no question that the Florida Panthers have the NHL’s best forecheck. Without a doubt. However, I’m certain when the Oilers review Game 6, I am certain they are going to look at their failures as more of an issue than the Florida forecheck.
<h2>Make The Simple Play</h2>
For most of the series, I wrote about the Oilers' unwillingness to make simple plays. Too many times, the Oilers just tried to make plays that were not there or where the risk was too high. I thought their play was impatient far too much in this series. Game 6 had more of the same. There are several clips, but I chose just one that was probably the beginning of the end.

The play in question is the Panthers' second goal. The Oilers get stopped at the Panthers' blueline on the attack. However, they do a nice job of retrieving the puck and attacking again. Bouchard comes to the blueline with all the play in front of him. There are too many Panthers standing up there, and the play is to chip it in and beat the Panthers to the puck.

Instead, he tries to make a high-risk pass that gets turned over. Now, Florida is on the attack. The Oilers get back into a good position.

Jake Walman has the puck carrier marked, and McDavid comes back hard, but he needs to pull up now and worry about what is behind him. Just assume a standard defensive position. Make a simple play. He does not. Instead, he overcommits to trying to regain the puck, and that leaves the late Panther attacker wide open. 2-0 Panthers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfd76fiLP5o

Two simple plays not made by two top-end Oilers. The result is a goal against. This happened time and time again in the last five games. The Oilers were unwilling to settle for simple plays that lowered the risk level of the game. It was part of the reason the team ended the year watching another team hoist the Stanley Cup.
<h2>The Final Notes</h2>
This team cannot come back in its current form. There are too many players of an age that make injury risk more certain: <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/13/kris-knoblauch-hating-early-penalties-edmonton-oilers-sit-evander-kane/">Evander Kane</a>, Adam Henrique, Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, Corey Perry and others all need to be looked at as replaceable.

The Oilers remain in a situation where they have a hole in the second pairing. Many people will want to chase a right-hand defenceman to play with Nurse. Personally, I would try and move Nurse first. Seth Jones was moved, and his game was rejuvenated. That can happen for Nurse, and the Oilers can use his cap space.

I don’t have an answer for the goaltending. I don’t evaluate goalies because they are voodoo. There is something with Stuart Skinner and this team. I don’t know what it is, but there is a vibe. Whether he is back or not, I have no idea. However, the team needs to sort that out likely before anything else.

That’s it for the Game 6 tactical review. Thanks to everyone for reading.

Enjoy your summer and see you in September.

<hr />

<h2><strong>ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365</strong></h2>
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