A little bit of gamesmanship heading into one of the most important games of the season.
The Edmonton Oilers were looking to participate in their scheduled morning skate on Tuesday morning, leading up to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. The Oilers, trailing 3-2 in the series, know they need to be as prepared as possible to push the series to a seventh game for the second year in a row.
However, they were thrown off by one of the opposing players. At the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, the Panthers were taking their morning skate, using both sheets of ice at the facility. Forward Carter Verhaeghe was taking shots by himself on the sheet the Oilers were scheduled to skate on at 9:30 a.m. MT.
Panthers using both sides of the practice ice this morning. Verhaege taking some shots on his own. Meanwhile a few Oilers who usually go out early are having to wait. Their ice is slotted for 11:30. pic.twitter.com/0Cheuc8KOJ
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) June 17, 2025
Verhaeghe’s presence on the ice remained until a little before 9 a.m., when many Oiler players seemed ready to jump on early to partake in their routine of pre-morning skate work. The 29-year-old was on the ice long enough that Edmonton team staff requested that the arena not flood the ice, in order to allow forward Vasiliy Podkolzin and a few others the chance to hop on early.
Whether or not the plan for Verhaeghe to delay the Oilers from taking to the ice is unconfirmed, and if the shenanigans pay off for the defending champions, won’t be determined until the final horn blows. Yet, it goes to show that, at this point of the season, players and teams are willing to do just about anything in order to get an edge against their opposition.
Verhaeghe has once again been an effective player for the Panthers in the postseason. After posting 21 points in last year’s playoffs, helping Florida capture the franchise’s first Stanley Cup, the Toronto native has followed that up with another solid performance. In 22 games, he’s scored seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points, sitting third on the team in scoring behind captain Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.
In the first five games of the final, Verhaeghe has notched a goal and five assists for six points.
Puck drop for Game 6 from Amerant Bank Arena is scheduled for a little after 6 p.m. MT.
