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Published Jun 18, 2025 • 4 minute read
Kasperi Kapanen Edmonton Oilers Florida Panthers Game 6
Kasperi Kapanen #42 of the Edmonton Oilers reacts after his team was defeated by the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 17, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. Photo by Bruce Bennett /Getty Images
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That’s back-to-back eliminations from the Stanley Cup Final, where the Edmonton Oilers didn’t even bother to show up.
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Make that three in a row, going back to Game 7 of the 2006 playoff run where they were outplayed worse than the scoreboard indicated in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
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For as great a player as he is, Connor McDavid has failed to register a point in either game where the Stanley Cup was handed out — despite leading the playoffs in points both times.
At this point, it feels like it could be the makings of a disturbing trend to remind hockey fans in Edmonton just how far behind them the glory days actually are. (It’s 35 years for anyone keeping score — and counting).
The thing is, it’s no secret just how hard it is to win a Stanley Cup. Much less to turn right around and do it again the following year.
So, while credit must be given to the Florida Panthers for living up to expectations and being the team to beat once again, here’s a quick look at some of the ways it went wrong for the Oilers following their exit from the Stanley Cup Final after six games this year:
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Oilers ran outta gas
The Oilers looked like a team that was running on empty at the end.
After pushing the pedal to the metal in storming back from a 3-0 first-period deficit in Game 4 to win 5-4 in overtime and tie the series 2-2 heading home to Rogers Place for Game 5, they had nothing left to give. That much was apparent in the 5-2 and 5-1 losses that followed.
The Panthers might as well have taken to the ice holding mops instead of hockey sticks, because a little clean-up was all they had left to do out there.
The thing is, both teams took the same approach to playoffs this time around, realizing full well what it was going to take after last year’s final round went the distance, only decided by a 2-1 result in Game 7.
And both were storing up as much fuel as possible for this year’s run through the post-season. Instead of going full throttle down the playoff stretch in an effort to finish as high as possible in the standings and earn as much home ice as they could, they both appeared content to finish third in their respective divisions, with Edmonton ending up ninth overall and Florida finishing in 11th.
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Perhaps that will be the blueprint going forward, as the top teams will do just enough to assure a postseason berth, while getting as much rest and recuperation as possible to make a lasting push.
And nobody does it better than Florida right now.
Penalty problems
The Oilers absolutely shot themselves in the foot, over and over again in the series.
First off, their penalty kill was a shell of its former self from a year ago, when they led the league in killing all but four of 70 instances in the postseason. The Panthers took over that title this time around. And while both teams took 23 penalties in the series, Florida scored seven times on the power play compared to four by Edmonton. Consider the fact three of the first four games of the series required overtime, and it shows just how small the margins were between these two clubs.
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The other three games were blowouts, including the deciding Game 6. But in the other two, the Oilers played right into the Panthers’ hands, took the bait right away and fell behind early. And it’s hard to catch up when you’re watching the game from the penalty box.
Keep it simple, stupid
The problem with having the best player in the world is that Connor McDavid looked like he was trying to prove it each and every time he touched the puck.
Forget high-speed zone entries and intricate pass patterns to try and set up the perfect shot. If you’re trying for a one-in-a-million highlight reel goal, then you’re stuck with whatever it was the Oilers were doing in these last two games the other 999,999 times.
While they only scored once on the way to being eliminated in Game 6, the way it went in looked frustratingly plain and simple. They pounded the puck from the blue line and then pounced on the rebound.
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More of that, and less mighty McDavid magic that only ends in a fizzle, and the Oilers might have been able to drag ’em back to Alberta for Friday’s scheduled Game 7 after all.
He can hardly be blamed for his team’s downfall in either of these miserable endings. But that’s twice now the Oilers were eliminated in the Stanley Cup Final where their leader failed to register a single point. And that’s after leading the league in playoff points both times.
Perhaps the Oilers need to help him unshoulder the responsibility of expectation and return to a much more simple style in those crucial times when nothing seems to be working. Even under the bright spotlight of hockey’s biggest stage, the moment doesn’t have to be too big.
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E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
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Read More
[The Stanley Cup suffered some damage after the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers.
Florida Panthers put dents in Stanley Cup during wild celebrations](https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/florida-panthers-dents-stanley-cup/wcm/fe8659a8-4123-4aca-bef1-16e194586b62)
2. [Connor McDavid #97 and Mattias Janmark #13 of the Edmonton Oilers react after being defeated by the Florida Panthers in Game Six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 17, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida.
Edmonton Oilers already picked as early Stanley Cup favourites in 2026](https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/edmonton-oilers/edmonton-oilers-stanley-cup-favourites-2026)
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