logo
Who should start in goal for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 and why: 9 Things

Who should start in goal for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 and why: 9 Things

Article content
That and more in this Stanley Cup Playoffs edition of…
9 Things
9. The Oilers do have depth in reserve if (God forbid) injuries were to re-occur. The Black Aces, as they are commonly known, consist of Bakersfield farm hands Olivier Rodrigue, Defenders Phil Kemp and Cam Dineen, and Forwards Noah Philp, Matt Savoie and James Hamblin.
8. A shout-out to my Cult of Hockey colleague David Staples who suggested after the Game Two loss that Kris Knoblauch return to the Draisaitl-Arvidsson-Podkolzin line. Perhaps the coach's ears were burning, as he did just that with great success. At 5v5, Draisaitl was 76%, Arvidsson 81% and Podkolzin 83%. With so much flux everywhere else in the lineup, the reunion made good common sense.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Oilers vs. Panthers: Leon Draisaitl scores overtime winner for Edmonton in roller coaster Stanley Cup opener
Oilers vs. Panthers: Leon Draisaitl scores overtime winner for Edmonton in roller coaster Stanley Cup opener

Toronto Star

time3 hours ago

  • Toronto Star

Oilers vs. Panthers: Leon Draisaitl scores overtime winner for Edmonton in roller coaster Stanley Cup opener

Perhaps it should be no surprise that a Connor McDavid pass to Leon Draisaitl in overtime — on the power play, no less — won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final for the Edmonton Oilers. The all-world stars do it all the time in the regular season. But it's just one of a number of ways in which the Oilers are different in this rematch against the Florida Panthers. Draisaitl didn't score in the final last year. He has two already this time, also opening the scoring in Wednesday night's 4-3 decision at Rogers Place. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW GAME 1 BELONGS TO THE OILERS 🗣️🗣️🗣️ Leon Draisaitl scores the Subway Canada OT winner to give the Oilers the 1-0 series lead in the #StanleyCup Final 👏 — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 5, 2025 'It's a good start for us,' Draisaitl told Sportsnet after the game. 'It's a special feeling. It's great for right now, but we've got to look ahead and get ready for Game 2.' That's Friday, and must-see viewing if it repeats the roller-coaster action of Game 1 in which the Oilers rallied from a 3-1 deficit and Draisaitl scored in the last minute of the first overtime. Draisaitl played injured in the final last year, contributing to his offensive drought. But he's healthy now. 'We got pretty banged up early last year in the playoffs,' he said. 'it's nice to feel good and healthy, and hopefully it stays that way.' 'He's invaluable,' McDavid said of Draisaitl. 'Does so many good things, clutch, faceoffs. Doesn't get enough credit for his defence. When he's dug in, there may be nobody better.' Sam Bennett scored twice and Brad Marchand had one for the defending champion Panthers in what is just the second Cup final rematch in the past 40 years, and 11th in NHL history. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'It's going to be a long series,' said Bennett. 'I don't think we expected this to be easy. We learned some things from tonight and we're just going to move on.' Different Oilers Viktor Arvidsson started the Edmonton comeback and Mattias Ekholm, with the only goal of the third period, forced overtime off a set-up from McDavid. 'You get those passes from world-class players, you kind of have to score,' said Ekholm. Nhl Analysis Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers: Everything you need to know about the Stanley Cup final From Connor McDavid and Brad Marchand being X-factors all the way to the coaching matchup, The Oilers have won 13 of their past 15 playoff games. Perhaps more important, Wednesday's rally showed a maturity that might be another key difference from last spring. 'Florida has closed out games extremely well,' said McDavid. 'Obviously we put ourselves in a tough spot. We just hung in there, and I think that is experience. We had to hold them at three and find a way to get one, and fortunately we did.' Stanley in the house The NHL started a new tradition last year: putting the Stanley Cup on the ice before Game 1 during player introductions. Before that, it was typically not even in the building until it could be won. They brought the Cup out again this time. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'I felt completely different,' said Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner. 'When I saw the Cup on the ice last year, I was kind of looking at it with googly eyes. And this year seeing it, I'm like: I was here last year, I saw it already, so now it's time to get back to work and do my thing. So definitely felt completely different.' Nba Opinion Bruce Arthur: Toronto is at the centre of the NBA and Stanley Cup finals thanks to a pair of local kids at the top of their games Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player on the best team in the NBA. Connor McDavid is simply Panthers hunt Another big difference this year is that the Oilers have home-ice advantage, with one of the best crowds in sports behind them. They were loud and proud, chanting 'Let's go Oilers!' and 'We want the Cup!' The decibel level hit 113.6, the league said, akin to sitting beside a chainsaw. The Oilers rode that emotion into the first few minutes, with Draisaitl jumping on a loose puck just 66 seconds in for a 1-0 Edmonton lead. But despite Edmonton's domination — they would outshoot the Panthers 15-7 — the first period changed on a single play. Carter Verhaeghe's shot from about 30 feet deflected off Bennett as he fell (or was he tripped?) into Skinner. The call on the ice was a goal, but the Oilers challenged for goaltender interference. The review favoured the Panthers, the officials deciding that contact between the skates of Bennett and Oilers defenceman Brett Kulak contributed to Bennett falling into Skinner. The Panthers got a power play and Marchand gave Florida a 2-1 lead. The crowd, outside of chanting displeasure with the officiating, had been taken out of the game. So imagine the silence after Bennett scored his second of the game and 12th of the post-season early in the second period. Bennett finished off a two-on-one with Nate Schmidt just two minutes into the middle frame, picking the corner on a beleaguered Skinner. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Leafs Opinion Bruce Arthur: There's only one way Connor McDavid ever becomes a Maple Leaf, and it's quite the longshot McDavid's Edmonton Oilers have won nine playoff series in four years. The Leafs are 'We were in pretty good shape at 3-1,' said Panthers coach Paul Maurice. 'They get it back. There were plays we didn't complete. Not worried about them. Just the ebbs and flows of the game.' It didn't take long for the Oilers' fourth line to get the fans back in it, when Arvidsson's slapshot surprised Sergei Bobrovsky just one minute and 17 seconds after Bennett scored. Ekholm tied it in the third. And the Oilers, who had failed to score on their first three power plays, got the winner after Stefan Nosek was called for delay of game. 'We had a couple of power plays early in the game and usually when we don't come through, it's just a matter of time,' said Ekholm. Hyman's pain Before the game, ex-Leaf Zach Hyman of the Oilers revealed he dislocated his right wrist in the third-round series against Dallas, confirming he will not play in the Cup final. 'I was still a little delusional that I could play through until after the surgery, obviously,' said Hyman. 'An emotional moment. I don't think you fully grasp it until a little later, when you can get your head around it. Some things in life you can't control, and then this is one of them.' Missing the speedy, physical Hyman leaves a gaping hole for the Oilers. 'He's a huge piece of this team: his physicality, his net-front presence, in the locker room, all those sorts of things. Just a great person,' said teammate Adam Henrique. 'So we're certainly going to miss him on the ice, but he's a guy that we're certainly fighting for out there.'

'Don't poke the bear': Did Oilers ace d-man go too far taunting Panthers player?
'Don't poke the bear': Did Oilers ace d-man go too far taunting Panthers player?

Edmonton Journal

time4 hours ago

  • Edmonton Journal

'Don't poke the bear': Did Oilers ace d-man go too far taunting Panthers player?

Article content After Tomas Nosek took the delay of game penalty near the end of overtime, Jake Walman let him know about it 😬 — B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 5, 2025 Was Walman's taunting of Nosek too much? That's how former Oilers d-man and Spittin' Chiclets podcaster Ryan Whitney saw it. 'He's played incredible but I didn't like this,' Whitney said of Walman. 'Take the PP and move on. Don't need to be testing hockey gods/karma with that.' Added Bill Horosz of the On the Prowl: Florida Panthers Den podcast, 'Don't poke the bear. Too late you already did.' Others saw Walman's action in a different light. On his 32 Thoughts podcast, Sporsnet's Elliotte Friedman noted Walman and perhaps also Oilers d-man John Klingberg had provoked Nosek. 'They made sure to get into Nosek's space on the way to the penalty box,' Friedman said, noting that this was something players on Toronto and Carolina hadn't done in the playoffs, never firing back as the bully boys of Florida kicked sand at them. But Edmonton is a different beast, Friedman said. 'Edmonton is making a point of saying, 'Normally, you guys are the ones who set the physical and verbal tone. You get others you get under other skin. We're coming at you with this too.' They're saying, 'We're not letting Florida do all the talking. We're doing some of the talking here too.' '

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store