The Oilers absolutely throttle the Panthers, in what game 1 would have been if Bobrovsky hadn't played like he was possessed by an ancient spirit of untold power.
The goal tonight was to put some doubt in their minds and no better way to do that than to thrash them 8-1.
Florida looked lost tonight, a chance to win the cup after losing last year and they forgot to even show up to play. The Oilers cooked them on the boards and diced their defense to shreds with their sheer speed.
There's a long way to go to get back into this thing, but this is undoubtedly a massive building block.
I'd love to say I think the Oilers will run them out of their own building on Tuesday, but I'd be lying if I said that. I think it will be a close game, might even take OT, as Florida will come out desperate having coughed up a chance to lift the cup on a putrid performance from top to bottom.
If the Oilers can take game 5 in Florida, I think they'll be very tough to beat at home in game 6. In game 7, anything can happen.
Obviously still take it a game at a time, don't get too far ahead of yourself. The Oilers show once again that they're at their best when their backs are firmly against the wall.
Key Players in tonight's win:
- Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark got the party started early and kept it going late into the game, they get a co-first star for me.
- Dylan Holloway looked like he did in the Vancouver series tonight, and we missed that from him against Dallas and the early parts of this series. He's fast, physical and super skilled when he gets his hands on the puck.
- Connor McDavid was driving the offense as well tonight. Very strong performance from him, though overshadowed somehow by the play of some of the depth.
- Stuart Skinner, despite not needing to with plenty of run support, played an excellent game, easily his best of the final and up there with his performances in game 4 vs LA and game 6 vs Dallas.
Players who need to step it up:
- Evan Bouchard, I love Bouchard but he was a destroyer of worlds throughout rounds 1,2, and 3 and he's had a pretty weak finals. He's had some costly turnovers but looks a bit rattled in general. I love Bouchard and I think he's gotten way too much heat for his play so far in the Final, but there's no denying he needs to step up and play better.
- Leon Draisaitl, he finally broke his pointless streak tonight with a couple apples, but I still think he's hurt. It's really hard to blame a player for not performing when they're very clearly playing injured, but it would be nice for Leon to finish a few of the cross crease one timers he's been getting.
- Cody Ceci, the much maligned Darnell Nurse had a great game tonight, despite a bit of a rocky start to the night. Not just the goal but his play in general. It's time for Ceci to do something. He looked lost in his own end, it was his error that led to Florida's only goal and he had trouble the rest of the night.
Great game, take the time to enjoy it, I'm so glad they didn't get swept. However, the job is far from over. If you can shock them at home in game 5, the alarm bells will really start to go off in South Florida.