The Panthers (18-11-2) lost 3-0 to the Calgary Flames on Saturday, but they had won six of their eight games (6-1-1) before this matchup. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov did not play against Calgary because he was ill, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky gave way to Spencer Knight after starting the previous three games. Both could be back against the Oilers.
“It will be a very difficult game,” said Panthers forward Anton Lundell. They remember last season, and so do we. It will be a very robust match. »
Florida lost two of its first three games of a five-game road trip. Before being blanked by the Flames, the Panthers suffered the same fate courtesy of the Vancouver Canucks (4-0) on Thursday. They began their journey with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Seattle Kraken.
“We played five or six games and we scored 36 goals, but we only scored one on this trip,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Saturday. “I’m not worried about our offense or lack thereof. We’re not moving the puck well enough to generate goals, but it’s not really dramatic right now. Our rush defense isn’t doing the job and if that doesn’t change against the Oilers, they’re going to score 15 against us. We need to fix this first. »
The Oilers believe they have turned the page on the defeat in the final and want to take advantage of the fact that they are still in the title race. The core of last season’s team remains intact and the newcomers are starting to find their rhythm.
“We’re looking to the future,” Brown said. “We’re going through the process of trying to come back strong, which is obviously the end goal, but we’re also looking to get better and better. The door is open before us, and this is our way of seeing things. »
The Oilers are ahead in this process compared to a year ago. At this point last season, they were still recovering from a disastrous 2-9-1 start to the season that resulted in the firing of head coach Jay Woodcroft, replaced by Kris Knoblauch on the 12th. November 2023. The latter managed to get the Oilers back on track last year, but also to put them back in the right direction this season.
“We could have been derailed at the start of the year, because we didn’t play our best hockey, but I think it was still not that bad and that our performances were better than what our record said,” said Knoblauch said. “We could have moved away from the process and made some drastic changes, and maybe that could have allowed us to get results and start winning games. But we felt our game was of a pretty good quality, even if we weren’t winning games. With a few small adjustments, luck would eventually turn in our favor. Overall, I am happy with our team play and especially the fact that we are winning games. »
Florida should be at its best in Edmonton on Monday. Edmonton is trying to catch up with the Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division. Vegas (20-8-3) leads the section, followed by Los Angeles (18-9-3) three points behind. The Oilers follow with five points behind the leaders.
“The series against them was very tough last year, but it’s a new season, and we’re talking about a team that has been playing very well since the start of the year,” analyzed Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse . “We want to show up, play the way we know how and take care of ourselves, like we did on Saturday. »
