Edmonton Oilers say they aren't afraid of any ghosts in Florida
You don't need a degree in sports psychology to know that the best way to recover from a crushing, double-overtime defeat isn't taking a five-hour flight to the place where you suffered the most heartbreaking night of your career.
Article content
But that's where the Edmonton Oilers will be forced to shake off Friday's gutting Game 2 loss, as well as the lingering PTSD (Post Traumatic Stanley Cup Defeat) from last season, and fire back at the Florida Panthers.
Article content
Article content
Article content
'No matter how much time passes it will always be on your mind, to be that close,' Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said of last year's loss in Game 7 of the final. 'But I think everyone's focus is on this season. We're in a new stage of our path and we're just focused on what we need to do right now.'
Article content
Article content
In a series too close to call, with games too intense to watch, the stakes get even higher as the Stanley Cup Final moves into enemy territory for Game 3.
Article content
For the Oilers, who are looking to take back home ice advantage after losing it on Brad Marchand's winner 88 minutes into Game 2, this is about flushing away painful memories, both recent and enduring and being ready for what figures to be the hardest game of the series so far.
Article content
'Right after the game there is frustration and the what ifs start going through your head a little bit,' said Leon Draisaitl. 'But the next day you move on. You have to. You have no choice. We have to get ready for Monday. We're looking to play our best game. We're comfortable playing our best on the road.'
Article content
Article content
They'll have to. The Panthers are giving them all that they can handle, and then some, having dominated the second periods and taken a lead into the third periods in both games at Rogers Place. If it stands to reason that things will only get tougher now that the Panthers are at home, with last change and backed by a rabid, rat-infested crowd, it will be on Edmonton to find yet another level.
Article content
Article content
Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard, for one, doesn't think it will be difficult at all to shake off the Game 2 loss and raise their game. In fact, returning to the scene of last year's final might actually help in that respect.
Article content
'Having the experience from last year when were down 3-0, we didn't let it get to us,' said Bouchard. 'We stayed even keel and fought our way back.
Article content
'We know what their building is like, we know how they like to play in their building. They have the last line change so it's less thinking for us, just go out there and play, let them do all the line matching. It's going to be important for us to play the way we want to play.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edmonton Journal
an hour ago
- Edmonton Journal
SIMMONS SAYS: At last, a Stanley Cup final that is truly worth watching
The truth about most Stanley Cup finals: They are easily forgettable. One series drifts into the next championship round, one year into the next, huge for the franchise that wins them, but too often the best-of-seven gets lost over time. The Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers are changing all of that in back-to-back Stanley Cup seasons. They are writing a history all their own. They are taking excitement to a new level — with two overtime games to begin this Cup final after a seven-game series a year ago that was decided by just one goal. To watch the brilliance of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl now is reminiscent of personal hockey genius of years gone by. This is Mark Messier of 1994. This is Mario Lemieux of 1991 and '92. This is Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier combining over five years as no one had before them. This is Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with three different Pittsburgh teams. This is magnificent individual hockey theatre.
Vancouver Sun
an hour ago
- Vancouver Sun
SIMMONS SAYS: At last, a Stanley Cup final that is truly worth watching
The truth about most Stanley Cup finals: They are easily forgettable. One series drifts into the next championship round, one year into the next, huge for the franchise that wins them, but too often the best-of-seven gets lost over time. The Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers are changing all of that in back-to-back Stanley Cup seasons. They are writing a history all their own. They are taking excitement to a new level — with two overtime games to begin this Cup final after a seven-game series a year ago that was decided by just one goal. To watch the brilliance of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl now is reminiscent of personal hockey genius of years gone by. This is Mark Messier of 1994. This is Mario Lemieux of 1991 and '92. This is Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier combining over five years as no one had before them. This is Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with three different Pittsburgh teams. This is magnificent individual hockey theatre. The Panthers are the ultimate in team champions. They don't have an all-time great in their lineup. They don't have a superstar for the ages. They have a style they play. They're deep down the middle, resolute and committed, mean, rough and ready. It is nine Stanley Cup games now between Florida and Edmonton, the most recent two being as sensational as any before them. This is hockey at its absolute best. This is hockey to remember forever. You don't even need a rooting interest of any kind to be captivated by this spectacle. All you have to do is watch. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Only two NBA players averaged more than 30 points a game this season. One was MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The other was two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Now there are rumblings that Masai Ujiri has genuine interest in acquiring his longtime buddy, Giannis, in a trade. And also there are rumblings that the Raptors have interest in ancient Kevin Durant, as well. Truth, if this were anyone other than Masai involved in this kind of talk, it would be easy to label this nonsense. But Ujiri loves the notion of involving himself in a home run-derby aspect of running a basketball team. He loves the challenge of going for it. Especially at a time when his long-term future with the Raptors, with Edward Rogers taking over the team, may not be as comfortable as it has been in the past. Masai has to be watching Pascal Siakam in the NBA Finals and thinking to himself: Why not us? … Giannis seems like he's been around forever, but he's only 30 years old. Not only did he score 30 points a game this year in Milwaukee, but he averaged 12 rebounds a game and shot 60% from the field. He remains a top-five NBA player … So explain Madison Square Garden to me: The Knicks fire coach Tom Thibodeau after he takes the team further than it has been in centuries. And at the same time, MSF re-ups Rangers general manager Chris Drury, after New York had one of its most dysfunctional seasons ever. The notion being: Do well and you get fired. Do lousy and you get an extension … At least the Rangers were smart enough to hire Mike Sullivan to coach, who then showed a wise side of himself by adding the impressive duo of David Quinn and Joe Sacco as assistant coaches. Some coaches aren't secure enough to hire assistants who could replace them. Sullivan clearly believes in team first, not protecting his job first … First impression of the Montreal Alouettes new starting quarterback, Davis Alexander: He's really fast … So I still wonder: How did the Argos win the Grey Cup with Nick Arbuckle at quarterback? … Anybody know who Auston Matthews ' passengers were? Anybody? … The Canadian Open is a whole lot more fun when Rory McIlroy is on the leaderboard instead of a lot of guys whose names you just don't know … This is how Caitlin Clark has changed business in the WNBA: Before she got hurt, ticket prices for Saturday night's Indiana-Chicago game were going in the $400-plus range. Now that Clark is out, you could pick up a ticket yesterday for somewhere around $17 … Deepest condolences to the Canadian football legend Milt Stegall and his family on the passing of their son, Chase, a soccer player at DePaul University … I took in a day at the Miami Open in March and got a chance to see Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka play tennis, one after the other on Centre Court. On Saturday, they played each other in a stirring French Open final at Roland Garros Stadium, with Gauff winning 6-4 in the third set … The NHL Broadcasters' Association voted Spencer Carbery coach of the year in the NHL. But I would still like to know the names of those who chose not to vote for Dave Hodge, Ron MacLean, Don Cherry, James Duthie or Don Wittman but did vote for Daryl Reaugh for the Foster Hewitt Award, which is the broadcaster equivalent of Hall of Fame. Also, shouldn't there be some kind of Hall of Fame recognition for the late producer, Ralph Mellanby, and for the legendary photographer, Bruce Bennett? … Is anything more appropriate than this: The Baltimore Orioles have acquired a pitcher named Scott Blewett, which is really the story of their entire season … Happy birthday to Mike Modano (55), Allen Iverson (50), Mick Foley (60), Terry O'Reilly (74), Bryan McCabe (50), Milan Lucic (37), Mike Cammalleri (43), Pete Orr (46) and Christian McCaffrey (29) … And hey, whatever became of Amir Johnson?
Ottawa Citizen
2 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
SIMMONS SAYS: At last, a Stanley Cup final that is truly worth watching
The truth about most Stanley Cup finals: They are easily forgettable. One series drifts into the next championship round, one year into the next, huge for the franchise that wins them, but too often the best-of-seven gets lost over time. The Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers are changing all of that in back-to-back Stanley Cup seasons. They are writing a history all their own. They are taking excitement to a new level — with two overtime games to begin this Cup final after a seven-game series a year ago that was decided by just one goal. To watch the brilliance of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl now is reminiscent of personal hockey genius of years gone by. This is Mark Messier of 1994. This is Mario Lemieux of 1991 and '92. This is Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier combining over five years as no one had before them. This is Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with three different Pittsburgh teams. This is magnificent individual hockey theatre. Article content Article content Article content The Panthers are the ultimate in team champions. They don't have an all-time great in their lineup. They don't have a superstar for the ages. They have a style they play. They're deep down the middle, resolute and committed, mean, rough and ready. It is nine Stanley Cup games now between Florida and Edmonton, the most recent two being as sensational as any before them. This is hockey at its absolute best. This is hockey to remember forever. You don't even need a rooting interest of any kind to be captivated by this spectacle. All you have to do is watch. Article content Article content THIS AND THAT Article content McDavid is putting up numbers that are close to the greatest we've ever seen. He has 73 points in the past two playoff seasons. With a whole lot of series still to go. The most Wayne Gretzky ever scored in back-to-back playoff seasons was 82. The most Lemieux managed was 78. The highest number for Messier and Bossy was 62. It's entirely possible that McDavid can score nine more points — if this series goes seven games — which would tie Gretzky's numbers. All of this happening at a time when scoring is far more difficult than it was when Gretzky and Lemieux were putting up the largest numbers ever seen … Sometimes it's easy to forget how special Doug Gilmour was during his two brilliant playoff seasons with the Maple Leafs in 1993 and '94 — really, the two greatest individual post-seasons in franchise history. Gilmour never made it past the third round in either year but still scored 63 points over those two post-seasons. In the two seasons that Gretzky combined to score 82 playoff points, he had 64 before the final began, just one more in total than Gilmour managed in his greatest days … Not that I should be asking, but isn't it kind of odd that Draisaitl's wife would have her bachelorette party in Greece while the Stanley Cup final was going on in Edmonton and Sunrise, Fla.? She couldn't have waited two more weeks? … Time heals most wounds. A year ago or so, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch was asking for management to trade Evander Kane. He didn't care for him as a person or player. Now Kane has become one of his most defendable playoff performers on Edmonton's team … Is it just me or is Sam Reinhart at all visible for the Panthers? On a team where you can't help but notice Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett or Brad Marchand, you can't seem to find Reinhart in prominent circumstances. Article content Article content HEAR AND THERE Article content The difficulty with firing a coach such as Peter DeBoer in Dallas is finding someone better than him. Truth is, there just aren't many … Just when you thought it was time to hand Evan Bouchard a place on Canada's Olympic team, an earned spot, along comes Marchand's overtime goal in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final. Bouchard is a miraculous offensive defenceman. But he is capable of winning or losing an Olympic medal — and that's why general manager Doug Armstrong and coach Jon Cooper kept him off the Team Canada 4 Nations roster … Among those who have played themselves into Olympic contention of some kind: Goaltender Stuart Skinner, possibly ahead of Adin Hill, Samuel Montembeault or Logan Thompson; forwards Tom Wilson, Nick Suzuki and Mark Scheifele, who should be among the 14 Team Canada forwards in Milano. Question is, if there are places for Wilson, Suzuki and Scheifele, who aren't there places for from the 4 Nations roster, where the roster size grows from 22 to 25 for the Olympics? … One Atlantic Division coach was not happy that Sasha Barkov won the Selke Trophy yet again as the NHL's best defensive forward. The vote was too convenient, he said. His view: This was one of Barkov's weakest defensive seasons. In the playoffs, Barkov has been scored on 14 times at even-strength in 19 games. His fellow Florida centre, Anton Lundell, has been scored on only five times … That coach's pick for the Selke: Adam Lowry of Winnipeg, who wasn't a finalist. Soon to be ex-Leaf Mitch Marner got three first-place Selke votes. We'd like to know why … Teams that could use Brendan Shanahan in a senior management capacity: Chicago, San Jose, Carolina, Detroit, Anaheim, Nashville, Calgary. Teams willing to pay Shanahan anything close to what the Leafs did: Probably none … Wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Shanahan wind up working for the NHL out of New York in some capacity. Commissioner Gary Bettman played a role in Shanahan being hired in Toronto … When Corey Perry wanted to play for the Leafs, then general manager Kyle Dubas had other ideas: He signed Joe Thornton and Wayne Simmonds for apparent veteran leadership. The 40-year-old Perry has eight goals with the Oilers this playoff season after being picked up following a troublesome ending in Chicago. It also helps a little when your centre is McDavid.
