There’s absolutely no doubt that watching the Edmonton Oilers get stomped by the Florida Panthers in Game 5 was as frustrating as it gets. Still, it’s also important to remember that nothing is over until one team wins four games, meaning we shouldn’t be giving up on the Oilers until there is no more hockey left to be played. That’s why I put together a few thoughts on what the Oilers need to do to lean into their strengths, break through the Panthers’ defences, and extend this series for a seventh and deciding game.

I don’t about you fine folks, but the thing that drove me most nuts in Game 5 was how few shots the Oilers got through to Sergei Bobrovsky. In their biggest game of the season, Edmonton mustered a meagre 21 shots on goal, with 10 of those coming in the third period when the game was all but over. It was almost like the Oilers were looking for the perfect pass or angle before getting shots on net instead of putting pucks on Bobrovsky with traffic in front to try and create some luck. It looked like they were playing not to lose rather than doing the things that have made them successful throughout the playoffs, and that’s not going to work when the opponent is keeping you to the outside of the ice as much as the Panthers are. Take the goal by Corey Perry in the video above. That goal happened because there were bodies in Bob’s eyes and Perry wasted no time putting the puck on net. He didn’t overthink it. He just ripped a shot.

That’s the shot-first mentality I want to see from Edmonton in Game 6. Instead of looking for the perfect play or sticking to the outside of the ice like the Panthers are hoping, why not get more bodies to the crease and put pucks through with the goal of creating chaos? Florida is clogging the middle anyway, so why not lean into that with even more congestion in front of the goaltender? Sure, some shots will get blocked and turn into nothing, but there are others, like Perry’s, that will either get through or fall somewhere near the crease where the crashing Oilers will be to clean up the garbage. By no means is “shoot and hack” the prettiest flavour of hockey you can see, but it damn sure would be more effective than spinning around the boards and hoping for a lane. I want to see the Oilers create their own luck, and sometimes that happens by putting the puck on the goaltender’s pads and outworking the guys around you to clean up the garbage.

Just like I’m asking the Oilers to do at even strength, I’m also asking that they simplify their power play. The Panthers are incredibly aggressive on the PK, and the Oilers are having a tough time dealing with the pressure when they work to set up the usual game plan. As much as we all want to see the cross-ice pass to Draisaitl in his office, that lane hasn’t been there very often, and yet, the boys still keep going back to that pitch over and over again. Don’t get be wrong, I get why they do. Game 1 ended on a perfectly executed power play that saw Leon Draisaitl left wide-open in front of the net for a clean one-timer, but outside of that moment, the play hasn’t been there very often.

Instead, I’d like to see more shots coming in from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid, and Evan Bouchard. Those three tend to play high in the zone most often, and I believe there are opportunities for low shots to get through to the net which would leave space for odd-man situations near the crease. I think a creative approach when the defence is as sound as the Panthers’ would be not always shooting to score, but sometimes shooting with the intent of creating a battle in front of the crease that can easily wind up as a garbage goal. While the tic-tac-toe plays are always the ones people remember, no one cheering for the Oilers will care if the goals come from hacking and whacking at loose pucks in a scramble situation. I also think that throwing “chaos shots” on net would actually open up more room for the standard power play ideas because it would keep the Panthers on their toes about which shots they’ll have to defend.

Arguably the most frustrating part of Saturday’s loss was how the Oilers didn’t play with much urgency until it was pull the goalie time. I know that’s getting into do-or-die mode for the evening, but wouldn’t it have been nice to get a little more of that fire for the first 55 minutes? It was the first time all game when I felt the Oilers were attacking with speed, supporting each other with passing options, and giving Florida different looks on the attack that the struggled to deal with. Yeah, you can argue that they had an extra guy on the ice at the time, but I’d counter that by saying we didn’t anywhere close to that much gas when the boys were on the power play.

If Edmonton is going to drag the series back to Alberta for a seventh game and a chance at winning the Stanley Cup, they need to start Game 6 with the same level of give-a-shit as we got at the end of Game 4 and final minutes of Game 5. As difficult as it is to keep moving 2000 mph for all 60 minutes, the boys can’t let the Panthers lull them to sleep by gaining an early lead and falling back into their highly-effective prevent defence. And the first step in making that happen is to buck this trend of not being ready to play, getting outscored 7-0 and outshot 37-20 in the first period, and waiting until they’re in a hole to put their foot on the gas. This is a do-or-die moment for an Oilers team that has seemingly weathered every storm imaginable, but this is a different animal, it’s going to take every guy in a white uniform playing like their lives are on the line for our season to be extended beyond tonight. I want to see the Oilers playing like they’re on fire because I fear anything less will result in another crushing defeat in the red zone.

Do or die, fellas. Those are the only options. Let’s see who wants it more.

We’re beyond excited to announce our latest partnership with Odd Company Brewing to bring you the all-new Nation Beer Everyday Lager! Whether you’re watching the big game, chilling with friends, or just kicking back after a long day, this crisp, refreshing lager is the perfect choice. It’s the brew you can count on anytime, anywhere. So, why not make it your next game-day tradition? Nation Beer Everyday Lager is available now at Odd Company Brewing and through Liquor Connect. Don’t miss out—grab yours today and take your beer game to the next level! Cheers, Nation Citizens!