McDavid’s Dominance Drags Panthers Back to Alberta
The Edmonton Oilers continue to wreak havoc against the Panthers as they put together a huge win to keep their season alive, yet again. Oilers pull off their first win in Florida in this Stanley Cup Final that sends the series back to home-ground for a Game 6. The stars of the Oilers are in full swing putting together massive numbers that they continue to unload throughout this year’s postseason. Here’s a few mesmerizing performances thus far:
Zach Hyman: Currently tied for most goals (15) among active skaters in a single postseason with Sidney Crosby ’09 and Alex Ovechkin ’18 — both went on to win the cup that year. Four back from the record that is held by Jari Kurri (’85) and Reggie Leach (‘76).
Connor McDavid: Most assists in a single postseason (34). First among active skaters and fourth all-time behind Wayne Gretzky (twice: ’85, ‘88) and Mario Lemieux (’91) in single postseason points with 42 — Each of them went on to win the cup those years….
Evan Bouchard: Most points (32) among active defensemen in a single postseason; Most assists in a single postseason by a defensemen (26); Third all-time in points in a single postseason behind Paul Coffey (37 in ’85) and Brian Leetch (34 in ’94) — Each of them went on win the cup that year….
Special-teams edge
The start that the Oilers had in Game 6 almost mirrors the one in Game 5 as they stormed off to a 1–0 lead in the first period courtesy of a short-handed goal off the rush. As I’ve mentioned in the Stanley Cup Preview article, the Edmonton Oilers have the edge when it comes to their power play and penalty-kill — just take a peek at the percentages. This has not changed as we’ve gotten into the latter half of the Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers’ ability to record a powerplay and shorthanded goal in consecutive games (Games 4 and 5) has lifted them above the Panthers and clawed them back into this series just after we wrote them off. It happens to be the first time since the late 1980’s that this has ever happened in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Oiler’s brilliance with the man-advantage and man-down continues to push their pace of play against opponents. Their powerplay has struggled at times in this series, but it is still at an astounding 30.6% — second among all teams that entered this year’s postseason behind the Colorado Avalanche. The PK? Clicking at an absurd 93.8%. In the last 15 games, the Oilers are near perfect (43 of 44), having allowed just one power play goal. Even on the man-down, the Oilers have fed off of the momentum that their penalty kill has continuously brought to the table in the playoffs.
Connor McDavid
The Oilers’ captain has the ability to completely flip a game on its head. He has cemented himself as one of the greatest players of all time and continues to give everything he has, while somehow finding another gear with his team’s back against the wall. He now has 11 points in the Stanley Cup Final (through 5 games; over 2 PPG), establishing himself as one-back the lead of ‘most points in first ever Stanley Cup Final appearance’ (Mario Lemieux ’91 and Daniel Briere ‘10 with 12).
McDavid’s first goal of Game 5 featured him flying down the left side of the offensive zone after picking up a loose puck and showed signs of ’10 Patrick Kane after sliding it on the ice past Bobrovsky to extend the lead to 3–0 just five minutes into the second period. Not even seven minutes later, Connor McDavid, who was on the tail end of a two-minute plus shift (crazy), decided to take the puck from his defensive end and go right up the gut through four ‘fresh off the bench’ Panthers where he found Corey Perry streaking to the backdoor for a tap-in to keep Oilers lead at three.
He has become the first player in a Stanley Cup Final to record back-to-back 4+ point games and is now sitting five back the single postseason point record that is currently held by the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, in the 1984–1985 postseason. He has legitimately put the entire city of Edmonton and his team on his shoulders to turn their 3–0 hole into a historic run for decades to come.
Stuart Skinner has been nothing short of perfect in the latter half of each series this year’s postseason. He has come up clutch in order for his team to close out the series up to this point. His stats in Games 4–7 are mind-blowing. He is sitting at a current 9–0 record with a 1.56 GAA and .938 SV% that includes one shutout that came in Game 4 of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings in a 1–0 victory. He has come up clutch for his team when absolutely needed.
Sergei Bobrovsky and the Panthers
These past two games for the Panthers and their leading playoff performer in Bobrovsky, seemed to have lost their form. They have consistently been outbattled in the first and second periods — causing them to lose two straight cup-clinching games. The Panthers defensive collapse continued through Game 5 as they’ve now allowed 13 goals against in games 4 and 5. Bobrovsky’s save percentage during these finals is nothing short of eye opening:
Games 1–3: .953 SV% | 82 saves on 86 shots on goal
Games 4–5: .769 SV% | 30 saves on 39 shots on goal
Since the start of the third period in Game 3: Stuart Skinner has posted a ridiculous .943 SV% and 1.71 GAA. Sergei Bobrovsky has shown signs of being human within this timeframe sporting a .756 SV% and 6.43 GAA. Although these numbers aren’t great, he has maintained a ridiculous run this postseason.
Matthew Tkachuk put on a display in Game 5 after expressing his confidence in himself and the team ahead of puck drop. He was dominating the puck in all zones of the ice with his incredible board-play and poise — he was able to get the Panthers first goal of the game after turnover in the defensive end. His 22 points this postseason now lead all Panthers; Tkachuk was held to just one point in the first four games of the series. Can the Panthers get their legs back to finish the job on the road in Alberta?
Game 6 Predictions from the 5th Liners Team:
Casey Ditzel: Edmonton 4–3(OT) Florida; Draisaitl overtime winning goal
Jorge Bannister: Edmonton 5–1 Panthers
Khalin Kapoor: Florida 4 — 3 Edmonton: Florida wins the cup
Matt Leonardo: Florida 5 — 1 Edmonton: Florida wins the cup
Jake Swanson: Florida 3 — 2 Edmonton: Florida wins the cup
Nick Kozsan: Edmonton 4 — 2 Florida
