Edmonton Oilers Face Tough Challenge After Falling 0-2 in Stanley Cup Final
Sportsgrid Staff
Host · Writer
The Edmonton Oilers left Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final with a mix of frustration and optimism. Despite being shut out 3-0, their potent offense was stifled by an extraordinary performance from Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
While they managed to avoid a shutout on Monday night, the Oilers still found themselves on the losing end, falling 3-1 and sliding into an 0-2 hole as the series heads to Edmonton.
“We just have to take it one game at a time,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch emphasized. “I don’t see any reason to panic or do anything drastic. If we win one of these, which I think we’re capable of doing, we’re really happy. So I don’t want to get too caught up in we’re down two-nothing.”
Renowned as one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL, Edmonton has surprisingly netted just one goal across the first two games of the final. The Panthers dominated the first two periods of Game 2, outshooting the Oilers 22-7. Edmonton’s seven shots on goal through 40 minutes marked the fewest by any team in a Stanley Cup Final since the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.
Connor McDavid, kept off the scoresheet in Game 1, assisted Mattias Ekholm for Edmonton’s sole goal on a 4-on-4 play, marking their first shot on goal of the game. McDavid, who leads all postseason scorers with 32 points, has yet to score in the series, including missing a breakaway opportunity late in the third period due to another stellar save by Bobrovsky.
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“We’ve got to be better,” McDavid stated. “I thought they went up a level from Game 1 and we didn’t match them today.”
Coach Knoblauch noted the Panthers’ defensive prowess and the Oilers’ penalty troubles as significant factors in the game. Leon Draisaitl, the 2020 league MVP, has also struggled, failing to register any points in the series and taking a roughing penalty in the third period.
“I certainly have a lot more to give,” Draisaitl admitted. “Not my best tonight. Obviously, I’m owning that. We’ll regroup and make sure I’ll be better in Game 3.”
Despite the lack of goals from their top players, Knoblauch expressed confidence in his stars. “Yeah, we’d like some more goals, but I think our top guys have been pretty good,” he said.
Goalie Stuart Skinner followed his 15-save performance in Game 1 with 25 saves on Monday night. Now facing an 0-2 deficit for the first time this postseason, the Oilers are tasked with a monumental challenge. Historically, only five teams out of 54 have come back to win the Stanley Cup Final after losing the first two games. The Oilers will need to make history to claim the championship.
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