SUNRISE | At the rate things are going, the Edmonton Oilers will have to be perfect to get back into contention in the Stanley Cup final.
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The Florida Panthers played two thunderous first games while the Albertans were very good in the first meeting and rather average in the second.
“As a group, we have to move up several levels,” admitted Connor McDavid after Monday night’s defeat. We need to play cleaner, be better with the puck and have more finishing around the net. That being said, we need to get there. They are very good everywhere on the ice.
And indeed, the Oilers struggled to get to Sergei Bobrovsky’s net on Monday. Mattias Ekholm’s goal, the Oilers’ only one in the 4-1 loss, was scored from distance.
Draisaitl blames himself
Precisely, McDavid was limited to one assist in two games and Leon Draisaitl did not blacken the scoresheet. He knows he has to contribute.
“I still have more to give, it wasn’t my best match tonight.”
That’s all well and good, but first he’ll have to find a way to free himself because like McDavid and the other good offensive elements on the team, he still has a red jersey chasing him.
The German also showed signs of frustration when he violently hit Aleksander Barkov in the face midway through the third period.
The same recipe
In the winning camp, Matthew Tklachuk indicated that the Panthers had not changed anything in the way they played.
“We don’t try to play a different way, we play intensely being in their face while limiting the space they have. Our game is simple, we are always moving and we hit and we did it well tonight.”
The Panthers were particularly effective in the third period during which they scored three goals and made several Oilers players lose patience.
“Everyone is fit and a competitor and as the match progresses we like to think we get better. It’s all about playing a good 60 minutes. It’s difficult to do, but we’ve been doing it for two years,” said Tkachuk.
Unlikely hero
Evan Rodrigues is the unlikely hero of this final so far. With a double in the second match, he already has three goals on his record in two games. So he has better stats than Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
“It’s pretty cool. I don’t worry too much about the total points or goals, we’re looking for victory first.”
Matthew Tkachuk added a little more about his teammate.
“I’m so happy and proud of him. He was great. Playing with him for a few matches, I see that he reads the game very well. He is very intelligent and I am really happy that he is rewarded. Tonight it’s him, but it could have been any other player. In addition to the goals, he is very stable in his game and his forecheck is effective.
