Who wins Sport 6 of Panthers-Oilers? Stanley Cup Remaining takes – ESPN

Joe Fortenbaugh and Damien Woody debate if the Panthers can shut out the Oilers in Sport 6 of the Stanley Cup. (1:18)
The primary three video games of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final noticed the Florida Panthers construct a 3-0 lead, dominating most facets of play towards the Edmonton Oilers.
Video games 4 and 5 had been a distinct story solely, because the Oilers charged again with two straight wins, with 4 factors in every contest for famous person Connor McDavid.
Will the Cats shut it out in Sport 6? Or will the sequence proceed to Sport 7? Our specialists are right here to interrupt down all the massive questions heading into Friday’s sport (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+).
Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter: Simply an general lack of consistency. For almost all of the primary three video games, the Panthers had been a metronome. They had been a risk to attain in each interval. Even when their defensive construction had its challenges, they nonetheless obtained constant goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky in a fashion that made up for these miscues.
What’s taking place now seems to be a systemic breakdown in quite a lot of areas. Sport 5 strengthened that perception. The Panthers restricted the Oilers to only 23 pictures, 10 scoring probabilities and three high-danger scoring probabilities. These metrics are sturdy — but the Panthers allowed 4 objectives, not counting an empty-netter on the finish. Once more, it is a lack of consistency or at the very least a disconnect.
Victoria Matiash, NHL analyst: Apart from the “McDavid issue,” and that Bobrovsky seems extra beatable than he has basically all postseason, incomes 11 penalties by means of two video games hasn’t helped. Not solely since three of them led to Oilers power-play objectives, but additionally as a result of, as by design, it is harder to attain in a single’s personal favor when down a participant — until you are on the Oilers: Mattias Janmark did so in Sport 4 and Connor Brown tallied one in Sport 5.
We are able to add the latter of these to the checklist of causes we’re even discussing a Sport 6 again in Edmonton in any respect. If Brown did not open with that shorty five-ish minutes in, I am undecided the Panthers would not already be parade-planning.
Arda Öcal, NHL broadcaster: Bobrovsky changing into human and McDavid changing into superhuman. Extra human than human, even. For Bob, that is 9 objectives allowed towards previously two video games, with .688 and .826 save percentages, respectively. Bob wants to remodel again into the perfect model of Playoff Bob, like he had been (towards McDavid particularly) beforehand on this sequence.
Kristen Shilton, NHL reporter: Florida’s particular groups went from impenetrable to weak in a snap. The Panthers had allowed simply two power-play objectives of their earlier 16 outings going into Sport 4 — the place Florida gave up three objectives on the person benefit and two shorthanded.
These are back-breaking totals in tightly contested occasions like these, and it simply handed extra momentum to the instantly surging Oilers. Sure, McDavid is otherworldly and Bobrovsky confirmed he could be common, too. However Florida’s collective downfall was dropping these battles they’d been profitable handily all through the postseason.
Greg Wyshynski, NHL reporter: These are all signs of the first downside: The Cup was within the constructing, twice. The Panthers have sworn up and down that it did not matter, however Carter Verhaeghe let the masks slip earlier than Sport 5: “It is a bit totally different with the Cup within the constructing.”
Paul Maurice framed it — as Paul Maurice does — as the last word aim instantly transferring from after the sport to being in entrance of it. Now your family and friends are in a constructing in Edmonton, ready to see the Cup. And so they’re all in Dawn, plus all of your followers, ready to see the Cup. Florida’s begins in Video games 4 and 5 are completely the byproduct of that stress. The Panthers are so a lot better when the expectations aren’t on them, they usually’re punching from beneath. That may be the case in Sport 6.
Clark: Three factors; one aim, two assists.
Matiash: Two. A aim of his personal and a power-play help on Leon Draisaitl‘s first since eternally in the past (Could 29).
Öcal: Three factors whole.
Shilton: 4 factors once more; one aim, three assists.
Wyshynski: One aim and two assists to maneuver two factors behind Wayne Gretzky’s all-time report for factors in a single postseason.
Clark: It is onerous to disregard Connor McDavid for causes which have all the pieces and nothing to do with McDavid. One of many issues Conn Smythe voters will possible weigh in the case of any Panthers participant is their consistency over the sequence. After Sport 3, it appeared as if Bobrovsky and Aleksander Barkov had been both the highest two favorites or among the many high three favorites.
Since then, Bobrovsky has struggled to cease pictures whereas Barkov went from scoring 4 factors and being on the ice for zero objectives towards by means of the primary three video games to going pointless whereas being on the ice for 4 objectives towards (2 power-play objectives, 1 shorthanded and 1 5-on-5) previously two video games. By comparability, McDavid has had eight factors previously two video games and has embodied how the Oilers went from struggling to discover a grip to having a firmer grasp going into Sport 6.
Matiash: McDavid may wrap up Sport 6 minus-five whereas dropping to the Panthers 7-0 and he is nonetheless strolling away with it. Hey, that is coming from somebody who has been throughout Barkov for the award up till not too long ago.
Heading into Sport 6, this technology’s Wayne Gretzky/Mario Lemieux has 20 extra factors than the best Panther (Matthew Tkachuk). We’ll be referencing this efficiency for years and years.

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Öcal: Connor McDavid, and it isn’t even shut. It is a playoffs award not a Stanley Cup Remaining award. However even when it was, No. 97 broke two No. 99 data previously two video games. To disregard one of many best particular person postseason performances in NHL historical past can be foolish at this level. It is already McDavid’s award.
Shilton: What’s the Conn Smythe? An award for the participant most beneficial to his group within the Stanley Cup playoffs. Are we even discussing Sport 6 possibilities with out Connor McDavid? Would Edmonton be within the Cup Remaining in any respect if McDavid weren’t having an precise traditionally productive postseason?
Sergei Bobrovsky deserves all of the accolades for what he has given the Panthers; there is no doubt he has had an MVP-worthy playoffs, too. However, even his stellar run is not on par with what McDavid has achieved.
Wyshynski: The man I stated had an undeniable case to win the Conn Smythe whether or not or not his group captures the Stanley Cup, and that was earlier than he posted his second straight four-point sport.
Until the voters have this unwavering dedication to the concept a participant from the dropping group within the Remaining cannot win an award for most beneficial participant of the complete postseason — a slightly daft notion, contemplating it has occurred 5 earlier occasions — then McDavid wins the Conn Smythe even when he does not carry the Cup. He has led his group deep sufficient to justify it. He has shattered Gretzky’s report for assists in a single postseason and is poised to grow to be the one participant apart from The Nice One in 1987 to have a hand in over 50% of his group’s objectives.
Overlook the hockey context: This is among the most dominant particular person efforts in sports activities historical past. After all it is Connor McDavid.
Clark: 4-3, Florida. Producing 26 pictures over the ultimate two durations of Sport 5, together with the very fact they outshot the Oilers 10-4 within the third interval, was essentially the most energetic the Panthers have seemed previously two video games. We have talked loads about how discovering any kind of breakthrough could possibly be an indication. Perhaps this may be that for the Panthers.
And if it isn’t? Then, we will be asking if the Oilers are about to tug off the best comeback in NHL historical past, if not the perfect within the historical past of North American skilled sports activities.
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Matiash: 5-3 Panthers. Florida rides the momentum of what it did proper in Sport 5. Comfortable to be incorrect right here although, as I am salivating on the considered a Sport 7 on Monday.
Öcal: 4-2, Oilers. Convey on Sport 7!
Shilton: 5-4, Florida. The Panthers will not lose three in a row. Florida was throughout Edmonton within the third interval of Sport 5 (similar to the Oilers took it to their opponent within the third body of Sport 3) and it’ll set a tone for the way the Panthers begin in Sport 6. That is the Panthers’ time.
Wyshynski: 4-3 Florida. As famous above, Sport 5 felt very very like Sport 3 within the sense that one group took the win and the opposite group took some confidence away of their loss. For about 25 minutes, the Panthers seemed like themselves once more, and Tkachuk seemed just like the man we noticed in 2023.
His line with Sam Bennett and Evan Rodrigues will generate a number of objectives, Sam Reinhart provides one himself and the facility play lastly converts. Bobrovsky does not fumble the bag and the Panthers hold on within the remaining minute to win the Stanley Cup for the primary time.

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