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The Stanley Cup Finals Game Three is now less than a day away.
Soon, the time for talking will be past and the analysis of the previous two games well over. The puck will drop on what could be a decisive Game Three.
So, what do the Oilers need to do to win Monday night and ensure themselves of at least a split in F.L.A.?
Here are (as I see it) items critical to the Oilers winning Game Three:
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I fully expect Sergei Bobrovsky to get better as this series moves on. I believe the goal he was going to gift the Oilers already happened, the Arvidsson goal in game One. So, Stuart Skinner is going to have to match him the rest of the way. And that starts in Game Three.
The D-pairings the Oilers displayed in practice Sunday had Evan Bouchard with Darnell Nurse. If you are worried about Nurse’s defending game as of late well then this may help. It is likely this pairing (if, in fact, Paul Coffey goes with it) would frequently be on the ice with the McDavid line. As such, there stands to be a bit less defending to do. I would also consider running Jake Walman harder. I would not make a lineup change. These are your best six.
Florida had some success with this tactic in the middle of Game One, and even more so in Game Two. The hard rim with a fore checker on his horse toward the opposite wall is difficult to defend against. But I still feel as if Edmonton has the personnel to counteract it. However, the Oilers need a forward coming back deep when the Panthers ring it hard into the zone. You can not expect your D-man to make a thirty-foot pass in that circumstance on a regular basis. Give them a 10-foot option.
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The Oilers were just one-for-six in their opportunities with the extra man on Friday. But except for the one where Marchand got the short-handed goal, I felt Edmonton was getting its looks. But in crunch time that is not good enough. When the game is on the line the Power Play must deliver. Two-for-ten will probably not get it done. Especially when Florida is two-for-six. As for the Edmonton PK, staying out of the box is your best bet there. We will get to personnel in a minute…
The Oilers’ best players need to be better than the Panthers’ best players. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard need to have bigger games than Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart and Gustav Forsling. To be clear: This is not criticism. On balance, those three Oilers have been better than those three Panthers so far. In fact, they have been mostly fabulous. But it is critical to continue tipping that balance however narrow it may be. It will not be easy. Those Florida players are quality.
I mentioned this in my 9 Things column on Sunday. Florida is running its Top Nine forwards and two top D-pairs much harder than Edmonton’s. Over time, I believe that can eventually hand Edmonton an advantage. The grind can get to them. But you must get deeper into the series to make that happen. Edmonton’s Bottom-six was not particularly strong in game Two. That cannot happen again. They need to out-perform their counterparts in Game Three. Be difference makers.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. I noted in the Cult of Hockey Podcast after Game Two that The Nuge had only taken seven faceoffs all game long, and that Evander Kane had started to stand in for him. Nugent-Hopkins touches all aspects of Edmonton’s game. Ideally, he can go. Because no one player can replace all that he does. But it would have to be by committee if Nugent-Hopkins cannot. Jeff Skinner would likely slide in on Line One with McDavid and Perry. Down the stretch with 97 Skinner owned a 72%+ CF%. And sure, Evander Kane or Jeff Skinner could both fill in on PP1. But would it not make more sense to put a playmaker like Nuge in that slot? Maybe Adam Henrique elevates to PP1 if 93 cannot answer the bell. And on the other side, Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin would likely have to step up on the P.K. They killed only :47 between them in game Two. Maybe even Leon Draisaitl takes a few PK shifts. You have to get there to win. This game is that critical. use your best players.
The Edmonton Oilers are fully capable of winning Game Three in Florida. With or without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. I do not have a Doomsday cloud on my horizon. At. All.
But the Florida Panthers get a say in all this, too. It’s why they play the games.
Now on Bluesky @kurtleavins.bsky.social. Also, find me on Threads @kleavins, Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at KurtLeavins@mstdn.social. This article is not AI generated.
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In memory of Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025.
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