Draisaitl-McDavid combo gives Oilers a nuclear fallback plan against Panthers
If the early part of the series is any indication, the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will be nothing short of a war of attrition that lasts all seven games.
Article content
You would be hard pressed to find two more evenly matched teams, who are butting heads over hockey's Holy Grail for the second year in a row, with every give on one side followed by an equal but opposite take, until one battle is won and it's straight on to the next.
Article content
The Oilers' biggest weapon isn't exactly a secret one. But it has been effective throughout these playoffs.
Article content
Article content
While Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl typically start off centring their own lines, more often than not, head coach Kris Knoblauch will shuffle the deck and combine his top two superstars on the same line at some point in the game when things haven't been going as planned.
Article content
And it's about as much of a nuclear option as there can be on any NHL roster out there, let alone one of the two remaining ones in these playoffs.
Article content
'We know how much scoring power they have, obviously they're a talented team,' said Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. 'But it shouldn't change our game.
Article content
'Obviously, we want to try and play with the puck as much as possible, and in their zone as much as possible. We tried to do that in Game 1, but it didn't work that well for us.'
Article content
Article content
Don't feel bad, Florida. You're not the only ones who have trouble handling Edmonton's one-two punch.
Article content
Article content
After all, since McDavid entered the NHL in 2015, no one has scored more than his 1,082 points (361 goals, 721 assists), with Draisaitl's 947 points (397 goals, 550 assists) right behind in second.
Article content
So, when they get put together in a game, it's no surprise when things end up working out in Edmonton's favour.
Article content
'That's just an inevitable part of it,' Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of facing both at the same time. 'You'll find it usually maybe a minute and a half more on the road than you would at home.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
42 minutes ago
- CBC
Capitals' Spencer Carbery wins Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year
Spencer Carbery of the Washington Capitals has won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year. The league announced the honour Saturday after members of Carbery's family surprised him with the trophy earlier in the week. Carbery is the first person to be named coach of the year in the NHL, American Hockey League and ECHL. Carbery was a runaway winner of the Jack Adams as voted on by the league's broadcasters, receiving 81 of 103 first-place votes. Winnipeg's Scott Arniel was second and Montreal's Martin St. Louis a distant third. In his second season running an NHL bench, the Victoria native guided Washington to first place in the Eastern Conference. He helped several players set career highs as the Capitals reached the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. "The best thing indication is a lot of our guys had career years, and I think he's a big part of it: the way he communicates, the way he holds guys accountable, the way he can fit guys into certain roles and use their strengths," Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said at his end-of-season news conference. "I think the relationship between the players and the coach throughout our lineup was excellent this year." When he was named a finalist last month, Carbery said it was an organizational award. "I look at our entire staff and everything that they put in, our players, management to provide the players everything," Carbery said. "It's for my name to be there as the figurehead of the organization, but I look at that to me that's a team-nominated award of what we've done as a coaching staff, management team, our players, what they've accomplished in the regular season." Carbery drew praise from counterparts around the league for how he got an aging roster into the postseason in his first season in Washington and took it to another level by transforming the Capitals into one of the league's top teams. "He's turned them into a deep, four-line juggernaut that just wins hockey games," said Tampa Bay's Jon Cooper, the longest-tenured coach in the league who won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and '21 and has made two other trips to the final. "They do everything right. There's no egos on the team and he's found a way to coach a Hall of Fame superstar and coach players that are just surviving to be in the lineup every night and he's found a way to make it all work."
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Stanley Cup final: Marchand plays hero for Panthers in Game 2 win over Oilers
Brad Marchand slipped a puck under Stuart Skinner's pad on his own rebound. That effort off the stick of the Florida Panthers winger dribbled through Edmonton's crease and touched the post before being cleared to safety. That agonizingly close call in Friday's first overtime period came after Marchand connected on a short-handed breakaway in the second period. The 37-year-old didn't miss on his next chance. Marchand scored on another breakaway — this time in double OT — as the Panthers beat the Oilers 5-4 to even the Stanley Cup final 1-1. View image in full screen Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand (63) celebrates his game-winning goal against the Oilers with Jesper Boqvist (70) during the second overtime period in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final in Edmonton on Friday, June 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson 'Pure excitement and adrenalin for the whole group,' he said in describing the moment before getting mobbed by teammates inside a stunned Rogers Place. 'We all knew we were one shot away … luckily it went our way.' Story continues below advertisement Florida, which beat Edmonton in seven games in last year's final for the franchise's first title, recovered after Corey Perry tied the game with 17.8 seconds left in regulation. 'We've always had a very calm team,' Marchand said. 'You draw from your experiences. We do a really good job of focusing on the moment.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy His ninth and 10th goals all-time in Cup final play gave him the lead among active players. Marchand's performance came exactly 14 years after he scored short-handed in the 2011 final against the Vancouver Canucks. Story continues below advertisement Roberto Luongo — the opposing netminder at the time and now special adviser for the Panthers — posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: 'Favourite player of all time.' 'Lu is awesome,' said the Halifax product. 'He's an incredible person. Happy to be on the team.' Marchand was acquired from the Bruins, who were eliminated by the Panthers from the 2023 and 2024 playoffs, at the trade deadline buzzer back in March. The fit has been seamless for a player that has made plenty of enemies throughout his career. 'Brad's an honest man,' said Florida head coach Paul Maurice, whose group dropped the series opener to Edmonton 4-3 in OT. 'He loves the game. He loves the people around him. He's very open, very gregarious. He (was) completely accepted. An incredibly positive human being. He's up and down our bench all the time just pumping tires, stays in the fight. He is going to be the same way at breakfast (Saturday) morning. He's just going to be jacked, high-fiving everybody at the table.' 'He enjoys the moment,' Panthers winger Evan Rodrigues added. 'He doesn't shy away from it.' Marchand's parents were in the stands Wednesday, with his mother was caught on camera celebrating her son's heroics. Story continues below advertisement He was asked post-game to describe Lynn Marchand as a hockey mom. 'She is one that you need to put a muzzle on,' he said to laughter from reporters. 'She gets pretty amped up at the games. They've always been so supportive. I don't think any player in this league could say that their parents are not the main reason why we're here.' Marchand, who won the Cup in 2011 and also played in the 2013 and 2019 finals, has shown no signs of slowing down at age 37 in his 16th NHL season. 'He could play till he's 47 the way he's going,' Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. 'Unreal player, unreal competitor.' Marchand's fifth career playoff OT goal tied Perry, Patrick Kane and Panthers teammate Carter Verhaeghe for the most among active players. The veteran forward also became the seventh player in NHL history to reach that number. Story continues below advertisement 'He just finds a way,' said Florida defenceman Nate Schmidt, who had a couple of run-ins with Marchand earlier this season when he was still captaining Boston. 'I don't think it gets too big for him. He was one of our most vocal guys throughout the third and the intermissions. It doesn't seem like he ever gets too riled about it, which is something you need. 'He is a veteran presence guy that's got a ring. We're really lucky to have him.' Maurice called Marchand 'a unique human' that has found a new home as the best-of-seven series now shifts to South Florida. 'In the northern parlance,' said the coach, 'he's a beauty.'
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Washington Capitals' Spencer Carbery wins the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year
Spencer Carbery of the Washington Capitals has won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year. The league announced the honor Saturday after members of Carbery's family surprised him with the trophy earlier in the week. Carbery is the first person to be named coach of the year in the NHL, American Hockey League and ECHL. Carbery was a runaway winner of the Jack Adams as voted on by the league's broadcasters, receiving 81 of 103 first-place votes. Winnipeg's Scott Arniel was second and Montreal's Martin St. Louis a distant third. In his second season running an NHL bench, Carbery guided Washington to first place in the Eastern Conference. He helped several players set career highs as the Capitals reached the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 'The best thing indication is a lot of our guys had career years, and I think he's a big part of it: the way he communicates, the way he holds guys accountable, the way he can fit guys into certain roles and use their strengths,' Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said at his end-of-season news conference. 'I think the relationship between the players and the coach throughout our lineup was excellent this year.' When he was named a finalist last month, Carbery said it was an organizational award. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'I look at our entire staff and everything that they put in, our players, management to provide the players everything,' Carbery said. 'It's for my name to be there as the figurehead of the organization, but I look at that to me that's a team-nominated award of what we've done as a coaching staff, management team, our players, what they've accomplished in the regular season.' Carbery drew praise from counterparts around the league for how he got an aging roster into the postseason in his first season in Washington and took it to another level by transforming the Capitals into one of the league's top teams. 'He's turned them into a deep, four-line juggernaut that just wins hockey games,' said Tampa Bay's Jon Cooper, the longest-tenured coach in the league who won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and '21 and has made two other trips to the final. 'They do everything right. There's no egos on the team and he's found a way to coach a Hall of Fame superstar and coach players that are just surviving to be in the lineup every night and he's found a way to make it all work.' ___ AP NHL:
