Game Six: Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers (Florida leads series 3-2)
Time: 8:00 PM EST
Location: Rogers Place
How to Watch: ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS
The site to follow: Litter Box Cats (Panthers) Oilers Nation (Oilers)
Betting favorite per ESPN – Edmonton Oilers -120
Here we are, at a place, that just a week ago, no one thought we would be, still watching live hockey. The Oilers did indeed “drag the series back to Alberta,” but now the question looms – can they drag it to Florida one more time?
No matter the outcome tonight, Connor McDavid has also dragged his name into the Conn Smythe conversation, despite what doubters such as myself were saying two games ago. While he hasn’t quite single-handedly kept elimination at Bay for Edmonton, his eight points over the last two outings is a huge factor. Can he do it at least one more time?
Some folks might think Florida is reeling a bit after letting two chances to finish this series slip like sand through their fingers, but there were some signs in the third period that they had rediscovered their game. Yes, score effects had something to do with it, but over that last 20 minutes we saw the Florida forecheck re-emerge, and they put more than a token scare into the Oilers’ fan base as the score narrowed to just one goal late into the night.
After two games of Edmonton dictating play, will Florida be able to carry over their momentum into tonight’s game? There is a good chance that the Panthers took their foot off of the gas a little in Game 4, and their slow start to Game 5 had me wondering if perhaps their style of play had finally caught up with them, but the strong finish showed they are not done just yet.
They still have a chance to finish off the playoffs without facing an elimination game, something that hasn’t happened since, well, last year (this is what happens when you start a thought without looking up the facts). However, no one in their locker room wants to take this back to Florida where the randomness of a Game 7 would loom large in the building. So they should be treating this as an elimination game and leave everything out on the ice. Rogers Place will be rocking and the Stanley Cup will be in the building, polished and ready for it’s spotlight for the third game in a row. If the Panthers want to finally raise it, they need to match and exceed the energy Edmonton will bring.
They might have different motivations for it, but both teams will bring a level of desperation to the game tonight. That in and of itself should make for an entertaining night. Enjoy
