The Florida Panthers` tactics seemed to frustrate the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, leading to a remarkable 85 penalty minutes for Edmonton in a 6-1 loss. This level of indiscipline in a Stanley Cup Final game hadn`t been seen since 1986, when Game 4 between the Montreal Canadiens (90 penalty minutes) and Calgary Flames (86 penalty minutes) ended in chaos.
Edmonton gave Florida 11 power-play opportunities throughout the game, including four in the first period alone due to three offensive-zone penalties and a bench minor for too many men. The Panthers made them pay, scoring on three of these chances and adding two power-play goals in the third period to significantly increase their lead. Their special teams effectively dissected the Oilers’ penalty kill, particularly with defenseman Aaron Ekblad`s goal, which was set up by precise passing and resulted in goaltender Stuart Skinner being replaced by Calvin Pickard.
Interestingly, the Panthers` home power play had struggled this postseason, converting only 1 of 28 chances (3.6 per cent) before Monday. Their performance on the road, however, has been starkly different, boasting a 41.2 per cent success rate. This road efficiency ranks ninth all-time among the 354 teams that have played at least five away games in a playoff year.
