Edmonton Oilers smashing through yet another post-season wall in Stars goalie Jake Oettinger
Article content
What happened? The Kings are done and Kuemper sits dead last among all playoff goaltenders with a 3.74 goals against average. The Oilers lit him up for five goals three times and four goals once in dispatching Los Angeles in six games.
Vegas goalie Adin Hill? After closing out the Minnesota Wild with .906, .909 and .935 save percentages in the last three games of that series, he was going to be a problem in the second round.
What happened? The Oilers reduced his numbers to .857, .865 and .850 in the first three games, then Stuart Skinner posted shutouts in the last two, as Edmonton made very short work of the first place team in the Pacific Division.
Which brings us to Jake Oettinger. He was sensational against the Winnipeg Jets, allowing just 12 goals in that six-game series and posting save percentages of .935, .923, .969, .912, .957.
What's happening against Edmonton? It's been 12 goals against in three games and save percentages of .889, .880 and .750.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edmonton Journal
4 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Keys to Game Four for the Edmonton Oilers include no re-runs from Game Three, please
Article content What I wrote: 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. What happened: Pretty much the opposite. Far too easy to tag that loss on Skinner. But he did get 'swimming' on the 1-0 goal that started the spiral and then he just could not dig his way out. At the other end, Bobrosky did Bobrovsky things until it did not matter any more. Does Calvin Pickard start Game Four? Absolutely. Bob Stauffer was not the least bit coy about it on his radio show Wednesday. Defence What I wrote: 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.
Edmonton Journal
10 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
'Love it': Master tactician Kris Knoblauch pulls "fast one," this time on hockey media
Article content In other words this was a full practice but without the newsmedia around. As TSN's Ryan Rishaug reported: 'Media told it would be scratches only, and no time was given for the skate. Clearly feeling they need to give their guys a break from a Stanley cup spotlight that is getting hot. Have covered well over a dozen finals and never had this happen before. And Montreal hoockey writer Renaud Lavoie in response to Rishaug: 'That's because it's not supposed to happen…' And Mark Spector of Sportsnet: :Oilers pull a fast one on the Stanley Cup media contingent, claiming an off day for the players. Then they skated. Subterfuge.' And the Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman: 'This was declared a day off, so there was no reason for most reporters to go to the rink. (The coach did his avail on Zoom, which is another issue entirely.) Fans don't care about media gripes, but this isn't a great look for a league that should be craving any coverage it gets.' Vegas hockey podcaster Chris Gawlik said: 'Love it.' My take 1. Nugent-Bownman is right that fans don't care about media gripes. Not in the least, at least so long as there's a huge amount of commentary on their favourite team and interviews with their favourite players. The fact is that there's no shortage of such reporting and commentary right now at this moment. 2. I don't expect any reporters to like what Knoblauch did. If I was a reporter covering the event, I'd not like it either. At the same time, the Oilers have a game to win. As an Oilers fan, I put that ahead of any other consideration here.
CTV News
12 hours ago
- CTV News
Stanley Cup game control: A question of style, puck possession and exploiting mistakes
While the benefits are obvious of playing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch explains why it actually hurts their depth in the long run. Sorry, we're having trouble with this video. Please try again later. [5006/404] Losing a faceoff and a battle for position less than a minute into Monday's game cost them the first goal. A rash of early penalties then finally caught up to them for the second one. And then the Edmonton Oilers were really chasing the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, ultimately losing 6-1 in Sunrise, Fla., while taking an atypical 85 minutes in penalties. 'I thought we got away from our game,' Oilers captain Connor McDavid said after Monday's game. 'Part of that is due to chasing it a little bit. Part of that is, credit to them, they played well. You find yourself in a hole, you're gonna do some uncharacteristic things ... 'We've done well chasing down games and turning the tide. Obviously, we didn't do it (Monday night).' Yes, the Oilers feature two of the National Hockey League's best players in McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. But the Panthers are considered the NHL's fiercest and finest forechecking team. They feature the likes of Sasha Barkov, arguably the best two-way player in the game and this year's Selke Trophy winner as the league's top defensive forward, and Gustav Forsling, among the best defensively on the blueline. Tenacity is in great supply on south Florida ice, too, with the likes of Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen in the Panthers' forward ranks, and Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones on the back end. Did I mention they're the defending Stanley Cup champions? Panthers vs. Oilers Florida Panthers' Sam Bennett (9) celebrates his goal against the Edmonton Oilers with Eetu Luostarinen (27) during the second period in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final in Sunrise, Fla., on Monday, June 9, 2025. (Nathan Denette/THE CANADIAN PRESS) While the first two games of this year's Cup final are arguably among the best ever played – close, blow-for-blow battles between two of the NHL's titans ending in overtime, with each side claiming victory once – Game 3 was much different. The Oilers couldn't catch up to the Panthers this time for all the aforementioned reasons, but partly because Florida could play to their strengths and clamp down on Edmonton's attack while protecting – and adding to – their lead. Case in point: Reinhart's goal for the Panthers a minute and 20 seconds after Corey Perry got the Oilers' first, and ultimately only, lamp-lighter of the game. The Panthers pressed the Oilers immediately after Perry's marker and capitalized on mistakes and misplays to gain the puck and score. 'I don't think we have gotten up to standard where we want to be yet. I think it's coming." — Mattias Ekholm Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm said after Tuesday's practice 'it's pretty clear' to him that whoever 'manages to play their game' more than the other side is the one that wins. But while the Panthers have gotten the better of the Oilers so far, he says his team's best 'is coming.' 'I think they've managed to (dictate their style of play) better in two games, and we did it better in Game 1,' Ekholm told media. 'In that regard, I don't think we have gotten up to standard where we want to be yet. I think it's coming ... It's a 2-1 series, so we're in a good spot, but we need to raise our game.' Stanley Cup Oilers Panthers Hockey Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) trips over Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) during the second period of Game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup final Monday, June 9, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (Lynne Sladky/AP) The Oilers' Trent Frederic said maintaining control of the puck more often – and staying out of the penalty box; Florida scored on three of 11 power-play chances in Game 3 – helps keep the Panthers in check. 'When they have a lot of power plays, even if they're not scoring, their star players are getting touches on the puck and feeling good about themselves,' the forward acquired from the Boston Bruins in late January said Tuesday. 'You never really want that to start. They're good at playing that game, and I've played them in multiple series ... It feels like they're doing more but (they're) getting more penalties (to go on the power play), so they're good at that.' Also handcuffing the Oilers to a degree is a hesitancy because of depth concerns on the part of head coach Kris Knoblauch and his staff to go to their nuclear option: Activating the dynamic duo of McDavid and Draisaitl by putting them on an even-strength line together, something Knoblauch and every coach before him have relied on to kick-start the team's offence. 'With what we have right now, to run those two together for long periods of time makes it more difficult for our depth on our team,' Knoblauch told reporters on Wednesday. 'At points, it's very beneficial to have them playing together, but especially with the absence of Zach Hyman, it makes it a little more difficult putting those two together.' Stanley Cup Oilers Panthers Hockey Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) watches as a shot by center Carter Verhaeghe enters the goal against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) during the first period of Game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup final Monday, June 9, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (Lynne Sladky/AP) If there's any solace in Monday's loss for the Oilers, it's that they've experienced such a low before. Just last year against the very same team in the very same high-stakes final series, never mind in other series leading up to the Final both this year and last. Face it, the Oilers faced even longer odds last June while staring down the barrel of a three-games-to-none gun held by these very same opponents. Ekholm said his team has 'played better this year to start the first three than we did last year.' 'Obviously, the result shows that, but also, we have a better understanding of what needs to be done out there,' he said. 'We can't let emotions, outside effects, referees – whatever it is – affect us. 'We've got to stick to the process and play our game, and I think good things will happen.'
