Adjustments needed for Oilers against Panthers in Game 3 of Cup Final

The Coaches Room is a daily function all through the 2023-24 season by former NHL coaches and assistants who flip their crucial gaze to the sport and clarify it by means of the lens of a instructor.

On this version, Bob Woods, former assistant coach with the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Geese, Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild, writes about two methods the Edmonton Oilers can claw again within the Stanley Cup Ultimate in opposition to the Florida Panthers after dropping Video games 1 and a couple of at Amerant Financial institution Area.

The Edmonton Oilers have been capable of finding seams with their pace and primarily use the Florida Panthers’ aggressive fashion in opposition to them in Recreation 1. They did not rating within the 3-0 loss, however that was due to Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky being merely simply excellent.

That recipe, although, of taking what the Panthers achieve this effectively and turning it in opposition to them is a part of what the Oilers want extra of in Recreation 3 at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN+, ABC).

They’re down 2-0 within the best-of-7 collection and so they have scored one objective. It got here in a 4-on-4 state of affairs. However they know they will play with Florida and so they know they will generate Grade-A scoring probabilities each from what they did repeatedly in Recreation 1 and the way Mattias Ekholm scored their solely objective of the collection to this point at 11:17 of the primary interval in Recreation 2.

They do it by discovering seams by means of the center of the ice, by profiting from the Panthers aggressive method.

Florida desires its forwards to forecheck arduous and its defensemen to pinch down the partitions. When it really works, the Panthers play like they did after Ekholm scored in Recreation 2, however when it would not you will get a objective like Ekholm scored.

Aaron Ekblad got here to this point down the right-wing wall that he was nearly within the nook with two teammates attempting to defend Connor McDavid. However McDavid rapidly acknowledged it and used his backhand to get the puck off his tape and up the ice to Ekholm. Edmonton had a 3-on-1 due to Florida’s aggressiveness and Ekholm scored.

The important thing for the Oilers is to get the puck previous their first wave of forecheckers.

Flip it out. Chip it off the glass. No matter they should do to get it out of the defensive zone and into the impartial zone, do it.

After which they should use their pace to skate onto it, to win the race to the puck. It may well’t be only a flip-it-out-and-change state of affairs. That will not work. That feeds into what the Panthers need.

It must be flip or chip it out and chase to possibly catch Florida being overaggressive. Get pucks behind them and you then’ve obtained your forwards going with pace. You may create outnumbered conditions off that.

These are going to be the issues they’re on the lookout for. The Oilers are an explosive group off the push. That’s their recreation. In the event that they get sufficient alternatives the Panthers are going to should again off ultimately.

The Oilers weren’t ready to do this sufficient in Recreation 2. The Panthers absolutely noticed what occurred in Recreation 1 and adjusted accordingly. They noticed they have been giving up an excessive amount of, being too reliant on Bobrovsky, however pace is Edmonton’s recreation and that’s what it has to get again to.