The Panthers triumph and end the Oilers’ dream

The Oilers’ incredible epic came to an end in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup, won 2-1 by the Florida Panthers.

The Floridians thus won the first Stanley Cup in their history, after two failed attempts last year and in 1996.

Sergei Bobrovsky, faltering in the last three games, all won by Edmonton, finally saved the best for last. The Russian goalkeeper blocked 23 of the 24 shots aimed at him, including several dangerous ones at the end of the game.

The Panthers were the first to score as Warren Foegele was just leaving the penalty box. Evan Rodrigues, hero of the second clash, took a shot that Carter Verhaeghe deflected behind Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner.

Mattias Janmark, however, calmed the crowd’s enthusiasm by creating the tie less than three minutes later, on a breakaway. He beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a good shot from the side of the shield to make it 1-1.

The visitors took advantage of a great opportunity on the power play at the start of the second period, while Matthew Tkachuk was penalized for tripping Evan Bouchard.

The Oilers’ five-man attack distributed the puck well, also taking advantage of a broken stick from the opponent, but ultimately was unable to find a gap.

Even though Edmonton was in control of the puck for most of the second period, it was ultimately the Panthers who broke the deadlock thanks to Sam Reinhart. The winger thwarted Stuart Skinner with a precise shot on a counter-attack.

During the final third, Stuart Skinner came to frustrate Sam Bennett with a point-blank shot from the slot. The Panthers then played with an extra player due to a penalty on Evan Bouchard.

The Oilers missed a golden opportunity with 7 minutes left in the game, as Connor McDavid grabbed a loose puck past Bobrovsky. He was unable to complete his maneuver, then Eetu Luostarinen dove to block a shot from Zach Hyman, the leading scorer of the current series.

After an exceptional spring, the Oilers captain was finally shut out in his team’s last two games. He nevertheless received the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player in the playoffs.

He becomes the first player to receive this honor in a losing cause since Jean-Sébastien Giguère in 2003.

No changes had been made to the Oilers’ lineup. Evander Kane misses 5th straight game due to injury. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice decided to call on veteran Kyle Okposo who took Nick Cousins’ place on the 4th line.

A missed appointment with history

In November, the Edmonton Oilers occupied the penultimate position in the National Hockey League (NHL) standings. On Monday night, they hoped to make history by becoming the first team since 1942 to win the Stanley Cup after suffering an 0-3 deficit in the grand final.

The Panthers easily took a 3-0 lead, before seeing Connor McDavid’s squad win three consecutive games.

Only one team in the history of the NHL has managed to win the Stanley Cup after finding itself in a similar situation in the final: the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942.

The Oilers’ comeback can be explained in part by the prowess of Connor McDavid, who amassed 11 points in 6 clashes with the Floridians. He also broke Wayne Gretzky’s mark for the most assists (31) in a playoff tournament.

But the Albertans’ renaissance truly began on November 12, when the organization decided to fire its head coach Jay Woodcroft. The club then posted a poor performance of 3-9-1.

New instructor Kris Knoblauch helped the team qualify for the playoffs. Edmonton then eliminated the Los Angeles Kings, the Vancouver Canucks, then the Dallas Stars in quick succession.

The Florida Panthers were back in the grand final after being defeated by the Vegas Golden Knights last season.

They also reached the final stage in 1996, before being swept by the Colorado Avalanche.