Sometimes, teams just have an off night and want a game back, that happened for the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night as they laid a massive goose egg against the Florida Panthers.
The final score was 4-0 and although the Oilers put up an admirable fight, there was almost no time where it seemed like they were gonna come out on top in this contest. Heading into the first intermission, the score was already 2-0 which seemed to set the stage for how the night would go.
Despite the shots and scoring chances finishing in similar places, the Oilers failed to break through. It was yet another night where they were steamrolled by a strong Panthers team and where the man in the Oilers crease was the second best in the game.
Positive takeaways from shutout loss to Panthers
One of the biggest takeaways from this match was that Oilers rookie Matt Savoie was a standout forward in this game. Although he failed to get on the scoresheet, he led the game in shot attempts (with seven) and led all skaters in individual expected goals according to Moneypuck.com. He was on fire throughout the game and has been playing very well as of late, looking like he has finally arrived.
Although there is definitely some score effects at play, it deserves to be said that the Oilers, despite the lopsided score were able to keep shots and expected goals relatively even. Being able to keep your foot on the gas and not give up, especially with a star like Leon Draisaitl still out with a lower-body injury.
Flashbacks from past Stanley Cup Finals defeats
Anytime you lose in such an embarrassing fashion, it sucks but it sucks even more when it is against a team like the Panthers. Not only are they outside the playoff picture this season but with the back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals losses, it stings a little more.
Speaking of flashbacks, Sergei Bobrovsky and his strong shutout performance, it is a grim reminder to Oilers fans that they once again had the second best netminder in this game. This has been a theme for years in Edmonton and unfortunately, it seems to be the case this year once again, even after a complete in-season overhaul of the goaltending tandem by general manager Stan Bowman.
The Oilers will need to be sharper come this post season if they hope to return to the Stanley Cup Finals once again.