If you are a hockey fan, the Edmonton Oilers-Florida Panthers is a dream matchup in the Stanley Cup Final.
OK, so maybe the bean-counters at ABC might have preferred to have the New York Rangers and/or Dallas Stars in the mix, but Oilers-Panthers provides us with the ultimate irresistible force vs. immovable object showdown that should be fascinating.
The irresistible force is the two-headed monster that is the Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl attack of the Oilers. Not that there was much debate on who the best, most explosive player in the National Hockey League was before Sunday night, but McDavid added to his long list of highlight reel goals with one that mattered more than all those that preceded it. His undressing of forward Sam Steel and standout defenseman Miro Heiskanen before backhand flipping the puck over Jake Oettinger put the Oilers on their way to clinching the Western Conference Final and will live in the annals of the greatest goals ever scored in the league’s history, considering the stakes.
It may not matter how you finish off a series as long as you finish, but Game 6 demonstrated both concerning and promising aspects of Edmonton’s game. The McDavid goal was just one of 10 shots the Oilers landed on the Dallas net, not exactly a recipe for success. On the other hand, goalie Stuart Skinner – believed to be a weak link as recently as Edmonton’s second round win over Vancouver – was spectacular, turning away 33 of 34 shots. Skinner, much like defenseman Darnell Nurse, went through the cauldron of playoff criticism, and came out on the other side better for it.
But while Edmonton’s WCF clincher was flawed, their win in Dallas in the pivotal Game 5 was anything but. The Oilers dominated a Stars team believed to be deeper on Dallas ice in their 3-1 victory that put the lie to the notion that they are still simply chance-trading, run-and-gun lightweights. They allowed two goals over the last two games of the series and have killed off 27 straight penalties over 10 games.
The Oilers also have some grit and vinegar to go along with their star power, including net-front extraordinaire Zach Hyman (14 playoff goals) and, if healthy, Evander Kane (he left Game 6 after playing just 4:39). The acquisition of Mattiias Ekholm last season helped stabilize a questionable blue line while Evan Bouchard is a weapon on the back end.
With eight top 10 picks – seven of whom were taken by Edmonton – the Oilers’ success has been built on a long, hard road, but they have indeed arrived.
As far as the immovable object goes, Bruins fans know all about the Panthers, having been knocked out of the playoffs in two straight season. It may be cold comfort for B’s fans, but the B’s actually played the Cats tougher than the Presidents’ Trophy-winner Blueshirts, having held a 60-40 high danger chance advantage at 5-on-5 over Florida while the Panthers had a 77-40 edge over the Rangers.
But the Panthers have simply figured out ways to win, one way or another. Whether it was through smothering team team defense or by superb goalie play by Sergei Bobrovsky, the Panthers managed to shut down the Nikita Kucherov-led Lightning, bottle up David Pastrnak, and most recently smother Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and the rest of the talented Blueshirts.
McDavid and Draisaitl no doubt will see a lot of Sasha Barkov, the Panthers’ 28-year-old centerman who could make a run at Patrice Bergeron’s record six Selkes if he can stay healthy. Defenseman Gustav Forsling, underrated no longer, will also draw some of that assignment.
The Panthers have proven they can shut down the big guns, but they’ve got some decent offensive artillery of their own with Sam Reinhart (57 regular season goals), the ever-lovable Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe, who has the heart of an assassin.
But more than one particular area of strength, what makes the Panthers’ impressive is the team-wide fortitude they’ve displayed on their last two runs to the Final. Nothing gets under their collective skin.
There was a moment in their series against the B’s that stands out. The Bruins, fuming over Sam Bennett’s cheap shot that knocked out captain Brad Marchand in Game 3, had taken a 2-0 lead in Game 4 and, with the Garden rocking, Pat Maroon dramatically and quite obviously challenged Bennett to a fight. Bennett, with nearly 18,000 people goading him on, kept his head down and declined.
The moment did nothing to burnish Bennett’s tough-guy image, but neither he nor the Cats were flustered. They got one goal back in the second period and then got the gift of all gifts when Bennett scored after crosschecking Charlie Coyle into Jeremy Swayman before scoring the equalizer. The situation room in Toronto inexplicably upheld the good goal call on the ice.
Did the Bruins get jobbed? Of course. But they also got flummoxed. Shortly after that, Barkov scored the eventual game-winner and the Panthers took a 3-1 series from which the B’s never recovered. Make no mistake, Florida is a force to be reckoned with.
So who raises the Cup in a couple of weeks? This is not an easy call, and you wouldn’t want to be. But something that B’s coach Jim Montgomery said during the series comes to mind. Florida has a brutal, punishing forecheck but, as Montgomery said, there is space behind it. The B’s found it, but didn’t have enough finishers to capitalize often enough.
Edmonton has finishers. Oilers in seven.
