The Oilers do have what it takes to sustain an aggressive offense against the Panthers, after all.
For all the praise the Panthers’ forecheck garners, the Oilers were able to spark 13 high-danger opportunities Saturday; the difference was that the Panthers cashed in on two of their six in their 3-0 series-opening victory.
Edmonton’s pressure caused Florida to commit a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes in the neutral zone that resulted in turnovers.
Sergei Bobrovsky may have stolen the game for Florida after Edmonton dominated chances, 70-42, but it’s clear we have a dynamic series ahead.
As Connor McDavid alluded to after the 3-0 loss, maybe it was the hockey gods that were evening the scales after the Oilers snuck away with the series clincher against Dallas after getting outplayed for 60 minutes.
We knew that for Edmonton to have a chance in this series, Stuart Skinner was going to have to match Bobrovsky, who has now sprung up to the Conn Smythe favorite following his second shutout of the playoffs.
Skinner wasn’t tested enough, however, he’s been perfect on mid- and low-danger shots for three straight games.
On the subject of perfection, the Edmonton penalty kill continued its success to 11 consecutive games without yielding a goal.
The most encouraging aspect of this Oilers performance was how their top point producers accounted for large chunks of the shot generation.
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McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard all registered at least four shots apiece.
If the Oilers can keep their foots on the gas pedal at five-on-five play while remaining effective on special teams, something will give.
THE PLAY: Oilers (+122, Caesars)