EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers were hungry for revenge against the Florida Panthers on Monday and suffered another frustrating loss.
This 6-5 loss at Rogers Place was nowhere near as devastating as the 2-1 loss in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena last June. But considering the Oilers were in control of the game with a two-goal lead 9:24 into the second period, the loss still hurt.
“It’s obviously disappointing,” said captain Connor McDavid. “We were in control of the match. We should have found a way to win. »
The Oilers saw a five-game winning streak end and returned to the locker room wondering what they could have done differently. Luckily for them, they’ll only have two days to think about it, unlike a full summer, when the Boston Bruins visit on Thursday.
“There were some very big mistakes,” noted coach Kris Knoblauch. “The defense that didn’t get the puck out or didn’t have support and changes at the wrong time. Costly mistakes that shouldn’t happen. »
The Oilers trailed 2-1 against Florida on Monday, as they did in the final match on June 24. That night, the Oilers were unable to score a second goal, but on Monday, they found a way to score three times in 3:04 of the second period. They looked comfortably on their way to a sixth consecutive victory.
Then, Zach Hyman, who had already scored two goals in the game, saw a shot from defender Evan Bouchard deflect into his face and he had to retreat to the locker room. The mood on the bench changed from that moment on.
“It’s never easy to see a teammate in such a terrible state,” McDavid said. It’s great that he came back in the game and overcame the pain. It wasn’t a pretty sight though. »
Hyman returned to the game with a full face shield in the third period and a very swollen nose, another example of the courage shown by hockey players.
In his absence, the Oilers allowed a third goal, then gave up two more times after his return.
Kasperi Kapanen, who was not in Game 7 last season, tied the game, but Carter Verhaeghe, who scored the first goal in last season’s final game, broke the Oilers’ hearts once again with which turned out to be the winning net.
“That’s the right word: disappointing,” said forward Connor Brown. “When you play a good team, the little details make the difference, and we made too many mistakes tonight. »
The Panthers arrived in Edmonton with little to prove. They won the game against Edmonton that really mattered. This fourth game of five on the road represented above all an opportunity for them to revive themselves, after having been blanked by the Vancouver Canucks and the Calgary Flames in the two previous meetings.
Florida managed to weather the storm against Edmonton and scored some timely goals. All this without captain Aleksander Barkov, who missed a second game in a row because he was ill.
“They’re a good team,” Panthers forward Sam Bennett said. “You saw tonight why these two teams went far. They have so much top speed and talent. They’re going to send pucks to the net, but I think we defended well and did what was necessary to win. »
The Oilers were eager to battle the Panthers for the first time since that epic finale, when they rallied from 3-0 down in the series to force a Game 7. The meeting had greater sentimental value for the Oilers than the Panthers, but the latter knew what to expect. They were in the same situation last season, after losing the 2023 Finals to the Vegas Golden Knights.
“I was angry in my heart when I faced Vegas for the first time last year,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk admitted before the game. “You can’t change anything from last year, of course, but they shattered your dream. I remember it was a hotly contested match against Vegas last year (4-2 victory). I expect tonight’s game to be very intense with lots of robust play. They have a lot of speed and talent, but I’m sure it will be intense. »
Tkachuk’s prediction proved correct. The match was filled with big hits, great plays and mistakes. In the end, the duel was very entertaining.
It wasn’t exactly the style of defensive hockey that Florida played to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in its history. A style that the Oilers want to copy to finally win a first championship since 1990.
In the end, perhaps we will quickly forget this defeat suffered on a cold December evening. The Oilers will have a chance to bounce back on Feb. 27, when they travel to Florida near the end of a five-game road trip.
“The game was entertaining and fun to be a part of, with two good teams playing fast and tough,” McDavid said. We would like to correct some aspects defensively, but the match was entertaining. We would have liked to find a way to win. We put ourselves in a good position to achieve this, but without success. »
