Panthers-Oilers Game 6 takeaways, early look at Game 7

Ryan S. Clark

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Ryan S. Clark

NHL reporterRyan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.

Kristen Shilton

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Kristen Shilton

ESPN NHL reporterKristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.Jun 21, 2024, 11:30 PM ET

The Stanley Cup was in the building again, ready to be awarded to the Florida Panthers if they won Game 6.

They did not.

The Edmonton Oilers scored the first three goals of the game en route to another dominant win, this one 5-1. In the process, they became just the third team in NHL history to come back from down 0-3 in the Stanley Cup Final to tie it 3-3. The 1945 Detroit Red Wings came back but lost in Game 7, while the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs pulled off the reverse sweep.

We break it down. Here are our grades for both teams, along with takeaways that stuck out the most, key players to watch and the big questions left unanswered prior to Game 7 on Monday (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+).

Panthers grade: C-

The Panthers have no one to blame but themselves. They lost three straight games just twice in the regular season and are on the brink of letting a Stanley Cup slip away. Florida should have had a parade by now. Instead, it is returning with Edmonton back to the Sunshine State to see if there’s anything left in the tank to finally finish off an extremely worthy opponent.

The Panthers have been listless out of the gate since Game 3, allowing the Oilers to take leads they don’t relinquish. Florida’s previous commitment to all-around defensive play is rapidly evaporating and leaves Sergei Bobrovsky vulnerable. Florida’s special teams haven’t been clicking, either. The Panthers stars are (mostly) nonexistent, and all the yelling from coach Paul Maurice can’t shake anything loose to help Florida get over the hump.

Now, the Panthers in a do-or-die position. And it feels like Edmonton is in far better shape to handle Game 7 better than Florida.

Oilers grade: A

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Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40404953/nhl-playoffs-2024-stanley-cup-final-panthers-oilers-game-6-grades

Author : Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton

Publish date : 2024-06-22 05:20:35

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