Game 3 of the Cup Final between the Oilers and Panthers need adjustments.

Throughout the 2023–24 season, former NHL coaches and assistants will often be featured in The Coaches Room, where they will lend their critical eye to the game and break it down from a teaching perspective.
This issue has a piece by Bob Woods, a former assistant coach for the Minnesota Wild, Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, and Buffalo Sabres. Woods discusses two strategies the Edmonton Oilers may use to rally against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final after their defeats in Games 1 and 2 at Amerant Bank Arena.

In Game 1, the Edmonton Oilers effectively used the Florida Panthers’ aggressive approach against them by using their speed to locate seams. They were shut out 3-0, but it was mostly due to the excellent play of Panthers goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky.
But the Oilers need more of that formula, which is taking what the Panthers do so well and using it against them, when they play Game 3 at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN+, ABC).
They have only managed one goal in the best-of-7 series and are down 2-0. It arrived in a four-on-four match. But based on what they accomplished repeatedly in Game 1 and how Mattias Ekholm scored their sole goal of the series at 11:17 of the first period in Game 2, they know they can play with Florida and create Grade-A scoring opportunities.
They do this by looking for openings in the centre of the ice and by taking advantage of the Panthers’ aggressive playmaking style.
Florida wants its defenders to squeeze down the walls and its forwards to forecheck aggressively. The Panthers play as they did after Ekholm’s goal in Game 2 when it works, but you can also score a goal similar to what Ekholm scored when it doesn’t.
In an attempt to stop Connor McDavid, Aaron Ekblad went so far down the right-wing wall that he almost found himself in a corner with two teammates. However, McDavid saw it coming and immediately utilised his backhand to move the ball beyond his tape and towards Ekholm up the ice. Florida’s aggression gave Edmonton a 3-on-1, and Ekholm scored.
Getting the puck past their first wave of forecheckers is crucial for the Oilers.
Turn it over. Break it off the window pane. They should take any necessary action to move it from the defensive to the neutral zone.
In order to win the race to the puck, they must next utilise their speed to skate onto it. It can’t be as simple as flipping it out and starting again. That is not going to work. That contributes to the Panthers’ goals.
Flip, chip, and chase are the only options if you want to perhaps catch Florida being too aggressive. Once you have pucks behind them, your forwards will start moving quickly. That allows you to construct scenarios with an outnumber.
They are going to be searching for those items. Off the rush, the Oilers are a lethal squad. Their game is that. Eventually, the Panthers will have to back off if they are given enough chances.
In Game 2, the Oilers were unable to accomplish it often enough. It’s safe to say that the Panthers saw what transpired in Game 1 and made adjustments. They realised they were relying too much on Bobrovsky and giving up too much, but Edmonton has to go back to its core strength—speed.
Naturally, the Oilers will benefit from having Games 3 and 4 at home in order to acquire the matchups they want. Additionally, there will be a significant gap if Florida’s Aleksander Barkov is unable to play on Thursday.
But none of it will matter against the Panthers because, even in the absence of matchups and maybe Barkov, they will continue to attack and be aggressive. For them, it works. They hone. They force turnovers, they complete checks. They’re addicted to that game, and they won’t quit.
The Oilers need to start using their power play because of this. It is their greatest resource. They use it to win games. It must be their strength since it makes all the difference for them.
After two games, they are 0 for 7 on the power play with seven shots on goal.
I believe guys, and Evan Bouchard in particular, can shoot more when they have the power. He is armed with a cannon.
They’re applying strong pressure, but Florida has done a fantastic job of preventing those seam passes, particularly to Leon Draisaitl for his one-timers, since everyone is aware of how strong Edmonton is on the power play. In the second game, he got one excellent chance, but the Panthers have mostly prevented him from getting strong looks.
Thus, increasing your shooting percentage is the easiest approach to clear things up if you’re the Oilers.
I brought up Bouchard because of his amazing point-blank play, but I also believe McDavid has to try to shoot more. He can attack the centre of the ice and come off the wall with such skill. Although he makes the seam for himself, he wants to take credit for it. More of his shots will offer up possibilities and force the Panthers to respect the shot, which will let the seams open up.
They’ve been in darker circumstances than this and they know how to crawl out of it.

More in Sports: https://buzzing.today/sports/
Photo Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/