The Edmonton Oilers will host the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, on Monday night at Rogers Place, with the puck drop set for 6:30 PM MT (8:30 PM ET). This will mark the first meeting between these two teams since Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Final, where Florida narrowly avoided a 3-0 series lead collapse. The Oilers are currently riding a five-game winning streak and hold an impressive 8-2 record in their last ten games, following a 6-3 victory over their divisional rival, the Vegas Golden Knights, on Saturday afternoon. However, the Panthers are on a two-game losing streak, having lost both of their outings in Western Canada against Vancouver and Calgary. Tonight’s matchup is the first of two regular-season meetings, with the second scheduled for February 27th in Sunrise, Florida.
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This game serves as a measuring stick for both clubs to test their capabilities. The Oilers will surely be eager to make a statement against the team that defeated them in Game Seven, with the Panthers seen as contenders for another deep playoff run. Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk anticipates a physical showdown in tonight’s cup rematch.
“I was pretty angry playing Vegas for the first time last year. There is nothing you can do about the year before obviously, but they took away your dream basically, so I remember that was a very hard-fought game to say the least. I expect tonight will be a very, very intense game, with a lot of physicality and they have a lot of speed and skill, but I’m sure this will be a pretty intense one”
Matthew Tkachuk on tonight’s SCF rematch
Improved Special Teams
Since November 23rd, the Oilers’ special teams have been performing well, with the power play converting at 36.4% and the penalty kill operating at a success rate of 84.2%. Improvements in passing and shot volume have been evident during this stretch, in which the Oilers have posted an 8-1 record, suffering only one loss—a tight 1-0 defeat to Vegas. Goalies Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have been a solid tandem lately, with Skinner boasting an 11-7-2 record and Pickard at 7-3-0 for the season. A significant contributor to the goalies’ success has been the enhanced defensive play, particularly in limiting the “big play”. A key strategy for minimizing odd-man rushes has been maintaining poise with the puck, leading to smarter pass decisions out of the defensive zone and ultimately limiting costly turnovers.
Ahead of tonight’s matchup, Evan Bouchard took a maintenance day during the morning skate but will participate in the game as part of the top defensive pairing with Ekholm, as confirmed by Head Coach Kris Knoblauch. He expressed excitement for the upcoming contest, noting that there have been many thrilling games recently, particularly against the league-leading Wild and their rival, Vegas. He mentioned there is some lingering bitterness facing the Panthers tonight, who handed the Oilers a heartbreaker back in June.
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