3 things Edmonton Oilers did wrong in Stanley Cup Final Game 1 loss to Florida Panthers

The Edmonton Oilers dropped game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals 3-0 on a brilliant performance by Florida Panthers’ goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. While the Oilers can’t be blamed for not putting forth a strong effort, the team could not overcome the Panthers’ tight-checking game plan.

So, it’s worth taking a look at what went wrong for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 as both teams look ahead to Monday night and Game 2 of the Cup Finals series.

3 things the Edmonton Oilers got wrong in game 1

#1: The Oilers could not contain Aleksander Barkov

Aleksander Barkov did what he does best: Control the game at both ends of the ice. Barkov finished the game with two assists and a perfect job of shutting down Connor McDavid. While McDavid had six shots on net, Barkov disrupted the Oilers captain’s offensive game.

Overall, the Barkov line excelled at keeping the Oilers forwards to the outside of the slot and clearing the front of the net. As a result, the 32 shots the Oilers got on Bobrovsky were not especially high-danger chances.

#2: The Oilers could not capitalize on their opportunities

While Bobrovsky played brilliantly, the Oilers failed to capitalize on their chances. In particular, the two breakaway opportunities by Adam Henrique and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins stand out as the most obvious goal-scoring chances.

Beyond that, the Edmonton Oilers went 0 for 3 on the powerplay. Those three missed chances with the man advantage came back to haunt them. Furthermore, the Panthers registered 10 giveaways, none of which turned into significant scoring opportunities.

As Game 1 suggests, goals will be hard to come by. Therefore, the Edmonton Oilers will need to capitalize on every chance they get in order to take control of the series.

#3: The Oilers couldn’t get it done in the faceoff circle

The Panthers dominated the faceoff circle, winning slightly under 60% of draws. That number needs to change in order for the Oilers to control the play and generate more scoring opportunities. In particular, Adam Henrique won only four of 15 draws. Similarly, McDavid won three of nine, and Draisaitl won just 11 of 23.

The Edmonton Oilers could not beat the Panthers in key areas, like faceoffs, blocked shots, and takeaways. While these areas may not seem crucial individually, when added up, they play a huge role in determining a game’s outcome.

In Game 1, the Panthers got all the small things right, leaving the Oilers to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to turn things around in time for Game 2 on Monday night.