The Oilers look to stay alive in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Panthers on Tuesday
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The Edmonton Oilers will fight to keep their season alive in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena.
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The Oilers look to show their resiliency & stay alive in Game 6 on Tuesday
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – We’ve been in this position before.
We know winning the Stanley Cup isn’t easy.
We know what it’s going to take.
Facing a 3-2 deficit to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers are preparing to respond to that adversity on Tuesday night to keep their season alive with a victory in Game 6 at Amerant Bank Arena, hoping to force a deciding Game 7 back on home ice this Friday after finding themselves in a similar scenario last year.
“Our backs are against the wall, so after a disappointing game all around, you have to bounce back,” said Corey Perry. “If you don’t, everything’s over and you’re going home for the summer, so you’ve got to be able to flush it, move on and be ready for the next one.
“We know what’s at stake. We know where we are, and we want to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
Corey speaks with the media on Monday aftenroon in Florida
In 2024, the Oilers overcame a 3-0 deficit in the Final to these very same Panthers by stringing together three straight victories with their backs against the wall, dragging them back to Alberta with a 5-3 victory in Florida during Game 5 before taking care of business on home ice in Game 6, only to fall one win short of their ultimate goal on the road in a tight 2-1 loss in the deciding contest.
Almost a year to the date of their Game 6 victory in Sunrise during last season’s Final, the Oilers will have to do the same thing to try and extend the series back to Edmonton, where this time they would host Game 7 at Rogers Place for the chance to lift the Stanley Cup in front of their fans in Oil Country.
Time and time again over recent seasons, during the playoffs, the Oilers have demonstrated their composure in elimination scenarios by always having their best game prepared for when they’re faced with no other option than coming up with a victory to keep their season alive, and Tuesday will be exactly that.
They’re ready to rise to the occasion once again.
“I think our guys are resilient,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said after Monday’s practice. “That’s been a term used to describe these guys for a long period of time with how many elimination games they’ve had. For some reason, when their backs are up against the wall and they’ve hit rock bottom, or they’re facing elimination, they respond and play really well. We won a ton of games last year in the playoffs and numerous elimination games, whether it was against Florida or Vancouver. When their backs are against the wall, they play their best and they don’t panic.”
“I’m excited about the opportunity,” Connor McDavid added. “We’ve bounced back. A lot’s been made about that. We talk about that all the time. But for whatever reason, our group doesn’t like to make it easy on ourselves and put ourselves in another difficult spot, and it’s our job to work our way out of it.”
Kris speaks on Monday before Game 6 of the Cup Final on Tuesday
Edmonton’s professional approach to facing elimination made for a light-hearted but determined practice at Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale on Monday afternoon, where the atmosphere amongst Oilers players and coaches was loose and light-hearted while ensuring their focus was fully on coming out with the effort needed in Game 6 to push this championship series to a seventh game back in Alberta.
“The mood out there today on the ice was fantastic,” Knoblauch added. “They’re embracing the challenge. They love challenges. Facing elimination is not an ideal situation, but for this group, it’s almost like that’s what they want.”
Coach Knoblauch said that he expects Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to be available for Tuesday’s Game 6 despite the longest-tenured Oilers not being on the ice for Monday’s practice, where Vasily Podkolzin appeared as a placeholder for him on the top line beside Connor McDavid and Connor Brown.
Knoblauch also wasn’t prepared to name a starting netminder on Monday afternoon between Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.
The Oilers aren’t letting the tension from trailing 3-2 in the series distract them from the excitement of playing this deep into June for the second straight year, or from their hopes of putting forward their best effort in Game 6 on Tuesday to play for the Cup at home.
“It’s a big game. Everybody knows that. I know that I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s fun hockey. It’s been a fun series to be a part of. The Cup will be in the building. Those games are what you dream of. Obviously, it won’t be for us, but anytime the Cup’s in the building and you’re playing, it’s a good sign.”
Connor & Darnell talk to the media on Monday afternoon in Florida
The starts haven’t been a strength of the Oilers this series after being outscored 7-0 by the Panthers in the first period over the last three games and 11-4 as a whole for the opening 20 minutes. Penalties have also played a factor in their first-period struggles, as they have been guilty of 16 minor penalties across all five games so far – 11 of those being taken in the last four games.
Improving in those areas will be key to the Oilers forcing a Game 7 on Friday night so they’re able to establish their offensive game more effectively, instead of having to spend long stretches of games trying to defend on the penalty kill, which has been outplayed this series by Florida’s power play that’s 5-for-15 over their last three home games at Amerant Bank Arena.
“Three of those four games, penalties last game wasn’t an issue, but a lot of that outscoring is from their power play,” Knoblauch said. “So I think it’s important for us one, not to give them those opportunities on the power play, but also, just taking away our flow and our attack if we are in the box. I think that’s the most important thing.
“Last game, I thought we started off very well, and as soon as that first goal went in, we made a mistake, they scored on it and then set us back a little bit. So I think we were prepared to play. I thought we came out well, but I think the most important thing is staying out of the penalty box.”
The Oilers’ power play will also need to bring its best game after going 0-for-3 in Game 6, ending a streak of nine consecutive games with a goal. Edmonton has notched at least one goal with the man advantage in each of their last five road games, and they’ll need to capitalize on their chances on Tuesday.
Perry and McDavid both believe it’s coming for their team on the power play in hopes that it can generate more momentum for the remainder of the series.
“I don’t think it’s far off at all,” Perry said. “You look at last game, there was a rebound off me and a post. There are a few things that if they go the other way, it’s in the back of the net. We’ve always said that the power play has to bring momentum for the rest of the team, and I think we’ve done that. We’ve had the momentum, had the puck, and had a lot of our own time to make some good plays. We just gotta be able to capitalize.
“I would say for four games, it’s been good,” McDavid added. “Obviously not our best the other night, and it needs to be a factor. It needs to at least build momentum no matter what.”
