High-scoring Oilers leaning into defence for third shutout in four playoff games
Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (29) gets tangled with Dallas Stars center Mikael Granlund (64) and right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) during the third period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
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CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Oilers not limping into this Stanley Cup Final against Panthers
Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch yells from the bench during the first period of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs against the Dallas Stars, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dallas. Connor McDavid is fine, and coach Kris Knoblauch expects the best hockey player in the world to be good to go for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. That is the most important thing for Edmonton gearing up for another championship series against the Florida Panthers. Also, acknowledging the notable absence of injured forward Zach Hyman, the Oilers are much closer to full strength in the rematch than they were a year ago and are not limping into the final this time around. 'We're very confident in the group that we have and the players that are available,' defenseman Darnell Nurse said Monday after a day off the ice for players. 'There's been guys that have stepped up in huge moments so far over the course of the playoffs, and I'm sure over the course of the series we'll need more of that.' A smoother journey through the playoffs helps. Edmonton won each of its past two series in five games apiece, and that has allowed for some much-needed rest along the way. 'Are we 100% healthy? No, not quite, obviously with Hyman being out, which will be a huge loss,' Knoblauch said Monday. 'But overall I would say we're in a little bit better position physically.' Reinforcements have also arrived just in time. Winger Evander Kane returned for Game 2 of the first round against Los Angeles after missing the entire regular season recovering from multiple surgeries to repair injuries that knocked him out of the Cup final a year ago when he needed injections just to be able to walk. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm got back in the lineup for the clinching game of the Western Conference final against Dallas after thinking several weeks earlier he wouldn't be able to play again until October. 'When doctors tell you something, they're usually right,' Ekholm said. 'Most people didn't think I was going to be in this position, so to be able to be part of this group, to be part of things on the ice and help this team win has been the goal the whole time and now that it's reality is awesome for me.' The Oilers did not win last year when they faced the Panthers, losing three in a row to start the series and clawing back to force a Game 7 only to experiencing a gut-wrenching defeat. They didn't have Kane healthy then to offset Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Florida's hard-nosed pressure. Now they do, with Kane and Corey Perry being counted on to make up for Hyman being out. 'We can play a physical brand of hockey,' Kane said. 'We can play an in-your-face brand of hockey. Whatever game you want, we can give you. We're going to play our game, and we're looking forward to that challenge.' The Panthers are also nearly 100% after some injury scares in the East final against Carolina to clutch scorer Sam Reinhart and vastly improved defenseman Niko Mikkola. Only depth forward A.J. Greer's status is any kind of a question going in. McDavid provided some intrigue over the weekend by leaving practice after five minutes and a chat with trainers. Knoblauch brushed that off, saying the three-time league MVP and reigning playoff MVP was fine and said McDavid would practice Tuesday in the final preparation for the series. Connor Brown is also expected to be back for Game 1 Wednesday night in Edmonton after missing the conclusion of the West final. 'He adds a lot of elements to our team,' Knoblauch said. 'Obviously on the penalty kill we need him a lot, his speed, his checking. He's scored and provided some nice offense throughout the season.' Having gotten at least a goal from 19 different players during this run, the Oilers also seem mentally sharper than last year, when they were new to this stage of the playoffs going up against an opponent that had been there before. McDavid and Leon Draisaitl should keep driving the bus, but they don't need to do it all. 'This time around we have a lot more depth throughout the entirety of our lineup,' Kane said. 'If we need scoring, we have scoring. If we need some guys that can be a little bit more physical, we can be more physical. Unfortunately, we're going to have to use that depth and we're going to have to get the job done with it.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
National Post
3 hours ago
- National Post
MATHESON: For this Cup final, Oilers' Kane is able
Article content 'This group worked really, really hard to get back to this point. I know more than anybody, not knowing if you'll get another shot to win. I've been in the conference final a bunch of times and the one final last year and not being able to help the team the way I knew I could, it was very difficult,' said Kane, who has 10 points in 16 games this spring. Article content 'Florida plays a certain brand of hockey. The way we've been looked at from outside our room is that we're just this offensive team and we've started to change that narrative. Obviously, we can score goals, but we can lock things down. And we can play a physical, in-your-face brand, whatever kind of game you want,' said Kane, who has another big body, Trent Frederic, this year, along with Darnell Nurse. Article content Is intimidation still a thing this late in the playoffs, with two teams left? Article content 'Yeah, it's always a factor. It's important to have that aspect to your group because you never know when it can play in your favour,' he said. Article content Indeed, playing the game with a snarl can be a winning recipe. Article content 'They know us, we know them. It went down to the bitter end last year. Both teams understand this will be the toughest challenge they've faced. Any sort of edge you can create could possibly be the difference,' he said. Article content 'As a team we're better equipped, especially up front, a lot more physical players,' said Knoblauch. 'We didn't have Evander last year but for the first two games, and not healthy. Do I think he'll make a difference now? Absolutely. Physicality, scoring. We missed him last year. But we've also added Frederic. He plays a similar game. Not as much offence as Evander but pretty darned physical.' Article content Knoblauch agreed with the game-within-the-game theme for Kane. Not everybody gets their competitive juices flowing like Kane's manner of agitation, though. Article content 'Some players talk between the whistles. Other players think that distracts them from their game. Others thrive on it. Like Corey Perry, like Evander Kane. That gets them involved in the game and they can distract somebody else,' he said. Article content 'Yeah, Evander's a good player and hopefully, he can provide something more that we didn't have last year (against the Panthers),' said Knoblauch. Article content We know Kane will arrive at Game 1 in ill humour, but in which luxury car? He's been in a Lamborghini and a Rolls-Royce this spring. Article content 'You'll have to tune in to find out,' laughed Kane, who told Jeremy Roenick and former NHL referee Tim Peel on a Stars and Stripes podcast that he would be in a Lamborghini here, but in Florida for Game 3? Article content 'Guys were talking like, 'Do I chopper in in Florida?' ' he said. Article content THIS 'N' THAT Article content Knoblauch said Oilers captain Connor McDavid is just fine after he only skated for 10 minutes Sunday before leaving the ice, so relax in Oilers Nation. 'He'll be skating tomorrow (Tuesday).' … Knoblauch said winger Connor Brown will be playing Game 1 which means Jeff Skinner, who scored in Game 5 in Dallas, will be out … Florida captain Aleksander Barkov has just won his third Selke award as the NHL's best two-way forward. He also won in 2023-24 and is the fourth back-to-back winner over the last 25 years, following on the heels of Patrice Bergeron, Pavel Datsyuk and Rod Brind'Amour. Barkov beat out teammate Sam Reinhart, with Tampa's Anthony Cirelli third and Jersey captain Nico Hischier fourth. Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl was sixth behind Vegas' Jack Eichel. Article content
Globe and Mail
4 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Excitement, nervousness and a sense of déjà vu as Edmonton prepares for the Stanley Cup Finals this week
Kennedy Forberg stood in the sun in downtown Edmonton on Monday afternoon, a gigantic image of the Stanley Cup glimmering tantalizingly on the screens above. Her son's stroller was piled high with new shirts from the Oilers store. Around her, the outdoor fan park known to locals as 'the Moss Pit' was already coming to life, with barricades and porta-potties and first-aid booths being set up. City buses flashed words of support as they passed. 'I'm excited, but a little bit nervous,' Ms. Forberg admitted. 'I don't want a repeat of last year. It's fresh. It hurts. I don't want to do that again.' It is, as Yogi Berra once said, déjà vu all over again: the Edmonton Oilers facing down the same team in this year's final series of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The first game takes place Wednesday. But, standing in the exact same spot where legions of fans mourned – and, in some cases, openly wept – after a one-goal loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 last year, Ms. Forberg and her mother, Alison, noted the team – and the signs – seemed to be aligning differently this time around. Healthy and with home ice, the Oilers look strong heading into Stanley Cup Final Alison Forberg said she believes the team is stronger and more unified than last year. And when team captain Connor McDavid audaciously touched the Western Conference cup the other day – intentionally breaking a long-standing superstition against doing exactly that – well, it seemed like something else was happening, too. 'When McDavid put his hands on that other trophy, I'm like, yeah, he's got it this year. He knows it,' Alison said. 'He knows it.' Mother and daughter each sported sparkly Oilers earrings, and Alison wore a set of matching Oilers bracelets Kennedy had made for the whole family. Like the earrings, Alison put the bracelets on before the playoffs and hasn't taken them off since. Her nails were painted orange and blue. 'We're just excited,' Alison said. 'I feel really confident.' In her arms, 1½-year-old Hudson followed the prompt 'He shoots' with a gleeful 'He scores!,' and pumped his tiny fist in the air. In the blocks around Rogers Place, the downtown Edmonton arena, billboards and stores repeated the city's mantras, which have become far closer to incantations now than simple slogans: 'LET'S GO OILERS' and 'THIS IS OUR GAME' and 'PLAY LA BAMBA.' At a nearby office tower, Maulina Saroya wore an Oilers T-shirt to work, which her company allows on game days and during playoff season. She said she puts serious consideration into her Oilers wardrobe during the playoffs. At one point, she retired one of her jerseys because the Oilers always lost when she wore it. But she's saving a new monogrammed jersey for next season because she bought it mid-season, 'so it didn't contribute to the playoff run.' Opinion: The secret to NHL playoff success is that the regular season doesn't matter She said it was nice to see people downtown, and exciting to see the TV trucks arriving, and the infrastructure coming together. 'It's very exciting, and as the week goes, you're going to see more and more. It's a community, right?' she said. 'My parents have been in Canada for over 50 years. They used to cheer for Gretzky, and now we cheer for McDavid.' She said she, too, felt as if Mr. McDavid touching the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl foreshadowed something significant. 'I really feel like we do have a great chance, but I don't want to jinx anything,' she said. 'Just by McDavid touching the Western Conference trophy, I feel like it broke all stigma. And I feel like they look determined. So I feel determined.' Her colleague Pawan Soora had been busy helping organize the large watch parties at their office, which last year involved hundreds of people gathering to watch on big screens set up inside the tower's hallways and boardrooms. As the Oilers head to the Stanley Cup final, some Canadians change teams to go 'Elbows Up' for Edmonton 'I'm so excited,' Ms. Soora said. She said she doesn't have any lucky shirts or traditions to help cheer on the team, except to 'be positive all the time.' Emily Butt is a relatively new fan, having moved from the Maritimes to Edmonton in November and gotten hooked. Ms. Butt said she used to cheer for the Montreal Canadiens, like her father, and hadn't broken the news to him that her team allegiance has changed – and changed so dramatically. 'Oh, I'm invested,' she said with a laugh. 'Tickets are like three grand, and I'd be willing to pay it to go see a game.' On Monday, Ms. Butt went to Rogers Place to buy her first piece of Oilers merchandise: a grey and pink T-shirt for her first playoffs as a fan. 'I'm 50-50,' she said. 'One part is nervous, and the other part is, like, 'We've got it.''
