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Oilers vs Panthers Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 |
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In Game 4 the Edmonton Oilers had their backs against the wall and needed to respond in a huge way to stay alive against the Panthers. That was exactly what they did as they absolutely routed the Panthers on the way to a dominating 8-1 win. Bobrovsky was pulled after allowing 5 goals on 16 shots, including a shorthanded marker and the team peppered Stolarz with another 19 shots and scored another 3 goals.
From the top of the lineup through to the very bottom, every line was firing on all cylinders for Edmonton. That is what it takes to win the Stanley Cup. The road to a Stanley Cup is still daunting for the Oilers as they need to win 3 straight games. We know Florida is going to come out swinging and try to close this series out tonight at home in front of their fans.
If Edmonton wins tonight, suddenly we are looking at a Game 6 on home ice and now all the pressure is on the Panthers. The fans can be thinking about that but the players cannot. They need to have the same mindset they did in Game 4 and play as if their season depends on it; because it does.
It's unrealistic to expect Bobrovsky to have another 0.688SV%, the Oilers have to be confident knowing that they have found ways to beat the netminder who still may be the favorite for the Conn Smythe if Florida wins. After two games and two periods of struggling to beat Bob, the third period of Game 3 and all of Game 4 have shown the Oilers are placing their shots better and finding his weaknesses.
It appears that the lineup will be the same for tonight and it's hard to argue against that. We know that in Florida, Barkov is going to be stapled to Connor McDavid to attempt to shut down the Oilers captain, something he has been highly effective at. The key to winning in Florida will have to be the second line of Draisaitl, RNH, and Holloway, as well as the Henrique, Janmark and Brown line which was very strong in Game 4.
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Don't want to think about the season ending for the Oilers after tonight but there have been some debates on whether or not McDavid should win the Conn Smythe even if Edmonton loses. It's important to remember that the Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded to the player who had the best playoffs, not just the final round. McDavid has 38 points in 22 playoff games so far this season and has broken the record for most assists in the playoffs, previously held by Wayne Gretzky. It has been a phenomenal performance by the Oilers captain and he certainly deserves recognition for what he has done.
Tonight we should see the Oilers best against the Panthers best in what should be a phenomenal game of hockey to watch. Hopefully the ride is not done yet for the Oilers and we will have a Game 6 to discuss.
Thanks for reading.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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