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

The Coaches Room is an everyday function all through the 2023-24 season by former NHL coaches and assistants who flip their important gaze to the sport and clarify it by way of the lens of a trainer.

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 Last in opposition to the Florida Panthers after dropping Video games 1 and a couple of at Amerant Financial institution Enviornment.

The Edmonton Oilers had been capable of finding seams with their velocity and primarily use the Florida Panthers’ aggressive model in opposition to them in Sport 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 Sport 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 sequence and so they have scored one purpose. It got here in a 4-on-4 scenario. 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 Sport 1 and the way Mattias Ekholm scored their solely purpose of the sequence up to now at 11:17 of the primary interval in Sport 2.

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

Florida needs its forwards to forecheck exhausting and its defensemen to pinch down the partitions. When it really works, the Panthers play like they did after Ekholm scored in Sport 2, however when it would not you may get a purpose like Ekholm scored.

Aaron Ekblad got here up to now down the right-wing wall that he was nearly within the nook with two teammates making an attempt 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 velocity to skate onto it, to win the race to the puck. It could actually’t be only a flip-it-out-and-change scenario. That will not work. That feeds into what the Panthers need.

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

These are going to be the issues they’re on the lookout for. The Oilers are an explosive crew off the frenzy. That’s their recreation. In the event that they get sufficient alternatives the Panthers are going to must again off finally.

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