Panthers-Oilers Game 2 Takeaways, Early Look at Game 3

Following the Florida Panthers' 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, many believed the Oilers would come out strong to start Game 2. They did, with Mattias Ekholm scoring the first club goal in the final.

After that, it was all Panthers.

Evan Rodrigues scored two goals, Florida held Edmonton to 19 shots on goal and the Oilers' vaunted power play was once again held scoreless.

Here's what stood out in Florida's second straight win, key players to watch in Game 3 on Thursday (8 p.m. Eastern, ABC and ESPN+) and the biggest outstanding questions.

Panthers Grade: A

Florida put on something of a clinic in Game 2. Edmonton managed just seven shots on net through the first two periods, compared to 22 from the Panthers' sticks, and Florida's best units were steamrolling the team's best players. Oilers.

The Panthers suffocated from the start and prevented Edmonton from gaining significant traction even after the Oilers opened the scoring with a 4-on-4 goal. Florida made Edmonton pay for every mistake, like Evan Bouchard's terrible turnover that led to Evan Rodrigues' game-winning goal. The Oilers never seemed to recover from that problem and the more they tried to compensate, the more Florida fell into its own rhythm and dictated the pace of the game.

Edmonton's frustration boiled over at the end and Florida kept pushing until the end. It's hard to imagine what exactly can stop the Panthers now.

“I'm really embracing the moment right now.” 👏

Evan Rodrigues talked about his role on the Panthers after his 2-goal night to put Florida ahead 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final. pic.twitter.com/qo7PHKE9bS

-ESPN (@espn) June 11, 2024

Greaser Grade: D

There wasn't just one problem, but several for the Oilers.

He started with seven shots in the first two periods, which tied a record for fewest shots in the first two frames of a Stanley Cup Final game. They didn't reach double digits until there was 16:05 left in the third period.

Even when they managed to make 12 shots in the fourth quarter, they allowed two goals before the Panthers scored with an empty net late in the third. Note that this is because he has a 71% shooting ratio in the third frame in a 5-on-5 game.

And if all that wasn't enough, they also struggled to isolate Stuart Skinner. While the Oilers have worked to consistently limit their opponents, Skinner has shown that he can handle a heavier workload and his team can still win. The Oilers were 5-1 in games in which Skinner faced more than 25 shots this postseason, a mark that now drops to 5-2.

What we learned in Game 2

The Panthers have had depth for days

Sure, it would be easy to quibble that Florida's power play went 1-for-6 against an excellent Edmonton penalty kill that had ended 34 consecutive man-advantage attempts until Rodrigues scored a power-play goal in the third period. But that's all; Florida has skaters on each line capable of making a difference.

Rodrigues scored twice in the Panthers' victory, while defenseman Niko Mikkola scored the other goal to put Florida on a clear path to victory (Aaron Ekblad's empty-net goal was just the icing on Florida's cake) .

The Panthers have top-tier talent that can light the lamp at any moment, but they don't need that to be successful. Even when special teams struggle. Even when goalie Sergei Bobrovsky isn't perfect (something he's been close to in this series). Florida was excellent in all three phases at times in Game 2 because their lineup is strong and solid from the first to the fourth line, from the third pairing to the first.

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Florida's Niko Mikkola makes up for his near miss with a goal seconds later

After nearly shooting into his own goal, Niko Mikkola scores at the other end moments later to tie the Panthers.

There is a disconnect with the Oilers

Finding a way to come back after losing in the playoffs has been part of the Oilers' identity this postseason. They lost Game 2 to the Los Angeles Kings in overtime, only to win three straight to win the series in five games. After each second round loss against the Vancouver Canucks, they won. Even after losing two games to the Dallas Stars, they won three in a row to close out the Western Conference Finals in six games.

It's proof that the Oilers have been able to make the necessary adjustments. But what makes this different, besides it being the Cup final, is that the Oilers have at least one series win every time they lose. They are now in an 0-2 hole in the series and face one of two realities: either they cut the series to 2-1 or they face an 0-3 hole knowing they could potentially be swept at home in Game 4.

Oilers' strongest bet for secondary offense could be their defensemen

One of the conversations after Game 1 was how 52% of the Oilers' shots came from Evan Bouchard, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid. In the second game, another quartet led the way when it came to shots on net for the Oilers: Oilers defenders combined for 13 of the Oilers' 19 shots on goal.

Not really. Mattias Ekholm, scorer of the Oilers' only goal, along with Brett Kulak, Vincent Desharnais and Bouchard were responsible for 13 shots. Kulak had five shots, Desharnais and Ekholm had three each, while Bouchard had two. The rest of the Oilers' snaps belonged to Draisaitl, Hyman and McDavid.

Players to watch in Game 3

Matthew Tkachuk, F, Panthers

Florida has yet to see the best of Matthew Tkachuk in the Cup final. That's not to say Tkachuk hasn't been visible; he simply he has not yet had the revolutionary and revolutionary performance that he has proven himself capable of in the past.

Edmonton's urgency level will skyrocket now that they are not only down 2-0 but are also back playing for their home crowd. This is when the Panthers need their stars to step up, and given the uncertainty surrounding Aleksander Barkov's status after the third period hit he took from Leon Draisaitl, it's up to Tkachuk to put in his best game now to establish a tone for the Panthers and demonstrate his leadership.

And he's quite familiar with the Edmonton crowd, having skated for the arch-nemesis Calgary Flames before their trade to the Panthers.

Florida has a chance to take a dominant lead on the Oilers and will want to be a catalyst for that to happen.

Darnell Nurse, D, Oilers

For starters, will he be healthy enough to play in Game 3? Or will the Oilers have to make another adjustment with their defensive pairings?

The nurse received a first period checkup which took him to the locker room. He returned for a 13-second shift, only to return to the locker room before returning to the Oilers bench. The nurse had only one shift in the second period and two more in the third period.

Getting injured is the latest development in what has been a difficult postseason for Nurse. He was on the ice for two goals in Game 1, leading to a -15 rating for the playoffs. That mark is one away from the lowest plus/minus rating in a single postseason.

Big questions for game three

Will Barkov be available?

Florida is lucky that there are two days between Game 2 and Game 3. That gives Barkov more time to be evaluated and determine if it's safe for him to return to action after Draisaitl's high hit.

Barkov has had a tremendous run this postseason, scoring six goals and 19 points. If he's not available, that will put pressure on Anton Lundell and the Panthers' other depth centers to step up, a difficult task at any point in the season, but especially when facing an Edmonton team that will be desperate to begin to even the score. homemade ice

Barkov's status will be at the forefront of Florida until there is a definitive answer on his availability.

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Why Sergei Bobrovsky enjoys the 'fun challenge' of facing the Oilers

Sergei Bobrovsky joins Scott Van Pelt following the Panthers' 4-1 win over the Oilers in Game 2.

What needs to happen for the Oilers to put together a consistent performance?

In Game 1, the Oilers consistently generated shots for two periods while limiting shots on the other end… only to lose. In the second game they scored against Bobrovsky, but had a hard time getting shots on net and gave up several chances at once…which led to their loss.

Through two games, there have been flashes of progress, but also quite a few moments of struggle. Part of the narrative with the Oilers this season following the signing of Kris Knoblauch has been the ability to make adjustments. They did it against the Canucks when they were down 2-1 in the second round. They did it again when they lost two straight in the Western Conference finals to the Stars.

Can they once again find the right combinations to dig themselves out of a 2-0 series hole or could they face the threat of being eliminated at home in Game 4?