The Edmonton Oilers fell to the Florida Panthers in a lopsided 6-1 Game 3 affair on Monday night and are now headed into what feels like a must-win Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday after trailing the series 2-1.
The Oilers were outclassed and outmatched in every facet of the game, looking more like a lottery team against the dominant Panthers rather than the elite group they are. The Oilers appeared to be nothing more than a frustrated and defeated group in Game 3.
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After such an ugly showing, the Oilers should be focused on what they need to do to even the series. Instead, they were focused on the officiating despite that they had many power-play opportunities of their own on Monday.
Several Oilers and head coach Kris Knoblauch fielded questions from reporters after the game. Connor McDavid said all the right things, noting that he and his teammates haven’t been at their best in this series, but he believes it’s coming. Others, however, had other things to say.
Evander Kane took two penalties in the first period and ended the game with 16 penalty minutes, and instead of focusing on his and the team’s lousy performance, he was much more concerned about the officiating. “They seem to get away with it more than we do. It’s tough to find the line. They’re doing just as much as we are,” Kane said. “There seems to be a little more attention [from referees] to our group.”
Knoblauch, who is known for his calm demeanour, threw in a quick jab at the officials when commenting on the too-many-men penalty his team was assessed in the first period.
“The referees, I thought they did an outstanding job tonight,” Knoblauch began. “They even caught the too-many-men penalty in the first period, which was too many men. They caught us there. I just wish they had been calling it [the same way] in Game 2 in overtime.”
Knoblauch was referring to what some perceived as a missed too-many-men call on the Panthers in Game 2 shortly before their game-winning goal in double overtime to even the series at one apiece. While Knoblauch has a legitimate reason to gripe about the missed call, commenting on it at this point does nothing more than show his and the team’s frustration.
Instead of focusing on the officiating from games they can no longer control, the Oilers need must look ahead to Game 4 and what they can do to ensure this doesn’t turn out the same way it did a year ago, with the Panthers hoisting the Cup.
Oilers Have Battled Adversity Before
Whether it was 6-1 or a 1-0 final, the Panthers have picked up just one extra win in the series. It may be difficult for Oilers fans to find the positives right now, but this isn’t the first time they’ve been down in a series these playoffs.
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The Oilers appeared to be dead in the water in the First Round versus the LA Kings, dropping Games 1 and 2 before storming back with four-straight victories to advance. They also trailed the Dallas Stars 1-0 following a collapse in Game 1 before again storming back with four straight wins to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers are a resilient bunch and can easily get back in this series. But they need to stop focusing on the officiating and instead focus on what they can control moving forward.
