Can the Oilers overturn a 2-0 deficit?

Tough start
7-1
“We’ve got to get better.”
Inspire a nation
How do they score?
Can they beat Bobrovsky?
Brutal powerplay numbers
Refs aren’t helping
“Win the next game”
Can they do it?
Tough start

The Edmonton Oilers are currently 2-0 down against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final. Why have they struggled so far, and what can they do, if anything, to turn things around?

7-1

Box scores never tell the full story in sports, but when you are 2-0 down with an aggregate score of 7-1 in a series, it suggests the games haven’t been close. Mike Spector for Sportsnet brutally summed up their performance in Florida, “The mighty Edmonton Oilers blew into South Florida, made landfall, and then petered out.”

“We’ve got to get better.”

Talismanic captain Connor McDavid told reporters after their game two loss, “We’ve got to get better. We can do better, for sure. I thought they went up a level and we didn't match it today.”

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Inspire a nation

The Oilers’ brutal start to the series has seemingly turned Canadian fans away from their TVs, with 58% of Canadians not following the Stanley Cup, per CBC. Perhaps a win in game three will get some national pride swelling behind them?

How do they score?

The Oilers boasted one of the best offenses in the NHL in the 23-24 season, but so far they have registered just one goal in two games. Per Sportsnet, McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have so far combined for just one assist, with the solo series goal coming from defenceman Mattias Ekholm.

Can they beat Bobrovsky?

Part of the Oilers’ insipid scoring is due to Panthers’ goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who recorded 33 saves in game one and became just the fifth goalie to record a Stanley Cup final shutout, per The Daily Mail. As Zach Hyman told reporters after game two, “You’ve got to find a way to score,” seems simple enough…

Brutal powerplay numbers

The Oilers ranked fourth in the regular season and second so far in the playoffs in Covers’ power play rankings but have been unable to capitalise against the Panthers, going 0-for-7 in game two, per Sportsnet.

Refs aren’t helping

No one wants to use the refs as an excuse, especially in a final, but when both Ken Reid and Luke Gazdic are bringing them up as reasons why the Oilers may have lost game two, it’s tough to ignore. Gazdic said on commentary, “(The refs) were a part of it and at this point in the Stanley Cup playoffs you don’t want them to be a part of it.”

“Win the next game”

Edmonton’s coach Kris Knoblauch took a pragmatic approach to his teams’ losses, telling NHL Media, “I don’t see any reason to panic or do anything drastic. … We just have to win the next game.”

Can they do it?

Canadian hockey teams have been starved of a Stanley Cup since 1993, and now the Oilers have an uphill battle to reverse that 31-year trend. With a two-game home stand ahead, it’s now or never for McDavid and co. Can they do it?

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

More for you