Who wins Recreation 6 of Panthers-Oilers? Stanley Cup Closing takes

The primary three video games of the 2024 Stanley Cup Closing noticed the Florida Panthers construct a 3-0 lead, dominating most points of play towards the Edmonton Oilers.

Video games 4 and 5 had been a distinct story totally, because the Oilers charged again with two straight wins, with 4 factors in every contest for celebrity Connor McDavid.

Will the Cats shut it out in Recreation 6? Or will the sequence proceed to Recreation 7? Our specialists are right here to interrupt down all the massive questions heading into Friday’s sport (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+).

What modified for the Panthers in Video games 4 and 5?

Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter: Simply an total lack of consistency. For almost all of the primary three video games, the Panthers had been a metronome. They had been a menace 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 occurring now seems to be a systemic breakdown in a wide range of areas. Recreation 5 strengthened that perception. The Panthers restricted the Oilers to only 23 pictures, 10 scoring possibilities and three high-danger scoring possibilities. These metrics are sturdy — but the Panthers allowed 4 targets, not counting an empty-netter on the finish. Once more, it is a lack of consistency or at the least a disconnect.

Victoria Matiash, NHL analyst: Other than the “McDavid issue,” and that Bobrovsky seems extra beatable than he has basically all postseason, incomes 11 penalties via two video games hasn’t helped. Not solely since three of them led to Oilers power-play targets, but in addition as a result of, as by design, it is tougher to attain in a single’s personal favor when down a participant — except you are on the Oilers: Mattias Janmark did so in Recreation 4 and Connor Brown tallied one in Recreation 5.

We will add the latter of these to the record of causes we’re even discussing a Recreation 6 again in Edmonton in any respect. If Brown did not open with that shorty five-ish minutes in, I am unsure 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 targets allowed towards previously two video games, with .688 and .826 save percentages, respectively. Bob wants to remodel again into the most effective 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 targets of their earlier 16 outings going into Recreation 4 — the place Florida gave up three targets on the person benefit and two shorthanded.

These are back-breaking totals in tightly contested instances like these, and it simply handed extra momentum to the out of the blue 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 successful 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 Recreation 5: “It is slightly totally different with the Cup within the constructing.”

Paul Maurice framed it — as Paul Maurice does — as the last word purpose out of the blue shifting 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. They usually’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 is likely to be the case in Recreation 6.

Connor McDavid will rating ____ factors in Recreation 6.

Clark: Three factors; one purpose, two assists.

Matiash: Two. A purpose of his personal and a power-play help on Leon Draisaitl’s first since eternally in the past (Could 29).

Öcal: Three factors complete.

Shilton: 4 factors once more; one purpose, three assists.

Wyshynski: One purpose and two assists to maneuver two factors behind Wayne Gretzky’s all-time document for factors in a single postseason.

If the Panthers win Recreation 6, who wins the Conn Smythe?

Clark: It is onerous to disregard Connor McDavid for causes which have every little thing and nothing to do with McDavid. One of many issues Conn Smythe voters will possible weigh relating to any Panthers participant is their consistency over the sequence. After Recreation 3, it appeared as if Bobrovsky and Aleksander Barkov had been both the highest two favorites or among the many prime three favorites.

Since then, Bobrovsky has struggled to cease pictures whereas Barkov went from scoring 4 factors and being on the ice for zero targets towards via the primary three video games to going pointless whereas being on the ice for 4 targets towards (2 power-play targets, 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 Recreation 6.

Matiash: McDavid might wrap up Recreation 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 Recreation 6, this technology’s Wayne Gretzky/Mario Lemieux has 20 extra factors than the most efficient Panther (Matthew Tkachuk). We’ll be referencing this efficiency for years and years.

Öcal: Connor McDavid, and it isn’t even shut. It is a playoffs award not a Stanley Cup Closing 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 respected to his staff within the Stanley Cup playoffs. Are we even discussing Recreation 6 possibilities with out Connor McDavid? Would Edmonton be within the Cup Closing 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 not any doubt he has had an MVP-worthy playoffs, too. However, even his stellar run is not on par with what McDavid has performed.

Wyshynski: The man I mentioned had an plain case to win the Conn Smythe whether or not or not his staff 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 that a participant from the dropping staff within the Closing cannot win an award for most respected participant of the whole postseason — a reasonably daft notion, contemplating it has occurred 5 earlier instances — then McDavid wins the Conn Smythe even when he would not raise the Cup. He has led his staff deep sufficient to justify it. He has shattered Gretzky’s document for assists in a single postseason and is poised to develop into the one participant apart from The Nice One in 1987 to have a hand in over 50% of his staff’s targets.

Neglect the hockey context: This is likely one of the most dominant particular person efforts in sports activities historical past. In fact it is Connor McDavid.

The ultimate rating of Recreation 6 might be ______.

Clark: 4-3, Florida. Producing 26 pictures over the ultimate two intervals of Recreation 5, together with the actual fact they outshot the Oilers 10-4 within the third interval, was probably the most energetic the Panthers have appeared previously two video games. We have talked quite a bit 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’ll be asking if the Oilers are about to drag off the best comeback in NHL historical past, if not the most effective within the historical past of North American skilled sports activities.

Matiash: 5-3 Panthers. Florida rides the momentum of what it did proper in Recreation 5. Blissful to be mistaken right here although, as I am salivating on the considered a Recreation 7 on Monday.

Öcal: 4-2, Oilers. Convey on Recreation 7!

Shilton: 5-4, Florida. The Panthers will not lose three in a row. Florida was throughout Edmonton within the third interval of Recreation 5 (identical to the Oilers took it to their opponent within the third body of Recreation 3) and it’ll set a tone for a way the Panthers begin in Recreation 6. That is the Panthers’ time.

Wyshynski: 4-3 Florida. As famous above, Recreation 5 felt very very similar to Recreation 3 within the sense that one staff took the win and the opposite staff took some confidence away of their loss. For about 25 minutes, the Panthers appeared like themselves once more, and Tkachuk appeared just like the man we noticed in 2023.

His line with Sam Bennett and Evan Rodrigues will generate a number of targets, Sam Reinhart provides one himself and the facility play lastly converts. Bobrovsky would not fumble the bag and the Panthers hold on within the closing minute to win the Stanley Cup for the primary time.