Panthers-Oilers Game 6 takeaways, early look at Game 7

The Stanley Cup is in the building again, ready to be awarded Florida Newspaper if they win game 6.

They did not.

The Edmonton Oilers scoring the first three goals of the match en route to another dominant victory, this one by a final score of 5-1. In the process, they became just the third team in NHL history to come back from 0-3 down in the Stanley Cup Final to tie 3-3. 1945 Red Wing Detroit came back but lost in game 7, while in 1942 Toronto Maple Leaf Pull out the reverse scan.

We’re here to break it all down for you. Here are our scores for both teams, along with the biggest takeaways, key players to watch and big unanswered questions ahead of Game 7 on Monday (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+).

Press grade: C-

The Panthers have no one to blame but themselves. They’ve lost three straight just twice in the entire regular season, and now they’re in danger of losing the Stanley Cup after dropping three in a row. Florida should have a carefully prepared parade by now. Instead, they took Edmonton back to the Sunshine State to see if there was anything left in the car to finish off an extremely worthy opponent.

The Panthers have been listless out of the gate since Game 3, allowing the Oilers a lead they haven’t relinquished. Florida’s previous commitment to all-around defensive play is quickly disappearing and leaving behind Sergei Bobrovsky out to dry. Florida’s special teams also had no action. The Panthers’ stars were (mostly) non-existent, and all the yelling from coach Paul Maurice couldn’t shake anything that was helping Florida get over the hump.

Now they’re in a survival situation and it feels like Edmonton is in much better territory to handle that than Florida.

Oil level: A

The Oilers have operated as a team, taking up time and space as a five-man unit. That dedication resulted in just two shots on target for the Panthers in the first period, and five goals came from unnamed players Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl (although later had a great assist for the opening goal of the match). Edmonton had previously shown it could survive in tight situations and was capable of coming back to make a comeback in the Western Conference final and go from conceding eight goals in Games 2 and 3 in the first round. This team only conceded 4 goals in the last 3 matches. .

All are bright spots that add to the belief that the Oilers could be the most complete team in the NHL.

Those traits weren’t evident in the series opener, but they appeared in Game 6. And while there were times when the Panthers were pushed back, if the Oilers can replicate their Game 6 performance in Game 7, that could get them free. fell to start the season lifting the Cup for the first time since 1990.

What we learned in Game 6

Absent stars in Florida are a problem

Listen, when the Panthers had just two even-strength shots from the forwards in the first two periods of Game 6, it was clear enough why they were (in part) up 3-0. At that point, Edmonton had scored 17 of its last 21 Cup Final goals, and continually found ways to make Florida look average.

Where Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe And Alexander Barkov to get the Panthers out of this rut? True, Barkov’s second-half goals were canceled out because Reinhart was offside – and Barkov lit the lights back up for Florida’s first goal in the third period – but Florida’s captain couldn’t carry the load alone. Florida has too many passengers right now.

The Panthers’ special teams were brutal

It wasn’t just that Florida couldn’t score on special teams. Their power play has difficulty generating shots. Florida is 0-for-11 on the power play in their last three games against Edmonton, and in a key third-period opportunity in Game 6, Florida didn’t even attempt a shot Stuart Skinner with the extra man.

Meanwhile, the Oilers are flirting with chances, and have at least made life difficult for Florida with the advantage. Edmonton revitalized itself through special teams opportunities in Games 4 and 5; The loss in the match for the Panthers was a big downfall for them. When all is said and done, a series like this can be lost on special teams alone, and that’s a general trend Florida is trending towards with how poor they’ve been in those areas.

It’s not just one thing — it’s many things for the Oilers

It all started with Kris Knoblauch’s decision to move Warren Foegele to the second line as a way to help create offensive consistency for Leon Draisaitl. That decision resulted in Draisaitl assisting Foegele for the game’s opening goal. The Oilers also have the type of structure that allows them to find rushing goals, including three in sequence.

Then the coach successfully challenged Barkov’s goal, which was a big boost. And as was stated multiple times during the playoffs, they won games without goals from Draisaitl or McDavid. For years, the concern surrounding the Oilers was whether they had enough options beyond those two options. But as they showed in Game 6, they had several options that proved to be too much for the Panthers.

The Oilers constantly put the opponent’s star players into a defensive black hole

Although Barkov scored, the difficulties he and Matthew Tkachuk has been part of the larger story of how the star players are struggling against the Oilers this postseason.

The Oilers organized Los Angeles King center Anze Kopitarwho has over 1,200 career points, none in four games. Vancouver Canucks front JT Miller had 103 points in the regular season and were held scoreless in 3/7 matches in the second round. While Jason Robertson scoring a hat trick in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, the Oilers held him without a point in the final three games of the series and four games total.

Going into game 6, both Barkov and Tkachuk had three National Cup finals without scoring any points. The Oilers are forcing the Panthers’ depth options to beat them — and it’s been a strategy that’s worked over the past three games.

Players worth watching in game 7

Sergei BobrovskyG, Newspaper

McDavid went to Edmonton and Bobrovsky went to Florida. And ultimately, whether the Panthers succeed or fail in winning the Cup will depend on him.

Why? Because up to this point in the playoffs, Florida simply hasn’t produced a dominant skater capable of going up and single-handedly winning. The only player the Panthers can rely on to do that – in a pinch – is Bobrovsky. He has been their most consistent performer in the postseason, and the Panthers were right to put all their faith in him being a difference-maker. That will never be clearer or more important than in Game 7.

Leon DraisaitlC, Tanker

Draisaitl made it clear after Friday’s morning skate that he wasn’t happy with the way he played and that he still hasn’t found his game. His assist to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead got him off to a fast start, which at times has proven elusive.

Although he still hadn’t scored a goal, he still finished off three shots, and also took a penalty kick in the third period that slowed the Panthers down another two minutes. Draisaitl had four matches in the Cup Final and he finished with three shots. Could Game 7 give him a breakthrough that would give him his first goal since Game 4 of the Western Conference finals?

Big questions for Game 7

Is the Panthers’ championship material?

Nitpick any part of the Panthers game so far. It doesn’t matter at this stage. All that stands between Florida and ending a series that could have been completed a week ago is the ability to prove that a 16th win is within their reach – that the Panthers themselves are made to be home. champion.

Florida has failed in three straight chances to send Edmonton packing. That lack of killer instinct goes against everything Florida has shown so far in the postseason. Now it’s going to be harder than ever to get the job done — because Edmonton has every motivation and every reason to believe they’re on track to get the job done. Can the Panthers pull off one last win to prove the past two months weren’t a fluke?

Where would Oilers Game 7 rank among all-time comebacks?

Let’s say for the sake of discussion, they won the Stanley Cup. Is this the greatest comeback in NHL history and possibly the greatest comeback in the history of North American professional sports?

There’s the famous 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs who remain the only team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup after losing 3-0. Additionally, the closest another team came to making it to a Major League Baseball or NBA playoff series was in 2004 when the Boston Red Sox rallied from a three-game hole to defeat the New York Yankees in the Championship Series. American Federation.

And while the NFL has a playoff format, the New England Patriots pulled off the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history when they overcame a 28-3 hole in the third quarter to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.

If Edmonton is successful, this comeback will certainly have a powerful effect on the all-time debate.