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

The primary three video games of the 2024 Stanley Cup Last noticed the Florida Panthers construct a 3-0 lead, dominating most facets of play in opposition to the Edmonton Oilers.

Video games 4 and 5 have been a special story fully, 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 collection proceed to Recreation 7? Our consultants are right here to interrupt down all the large questions heading into Friday’s recreation (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 have been a metronome. They have 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 taking place now seems to be a systemic breakdown in quite a lot of areas. Recreation 5 strengthened that perception. The Panthers restricted the Oilers to only 23 photographs, 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 very least a disconnect.

Victoria Matiash, NHL analyst: Other than the “McDavid issue,” and that Bobrovsky seems extra beatable than he has primarily 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 targets, 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 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 undecided the Panthers would not already be parade-planning.

Arda Öcal, NHL broadcaster: Bobrovsky turning into human and McDavid turning into superhuman. Extra human than human, even. For Bob, that is 9 targets allowed in opposition to previously two video games, with .688 and .826 save percentages, respectively. Bob wants to remodel again into one of the best model of Playoff Bob, like he had been (in opposition to McDavid particularly) beforehand on this collection.

Kristen Shilton, NHL reporter: Florida’s particular groups went from impenetrable to susceptible 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 all of a sudden surging Oilers. Sure, McDavid is otherworldly and Bobrovsky confirmed he might be common, too. However Florida’s collective downfall was shedding these battles they’d been profitable handily all through the postseason.

Greg Wyshynski, NHL reporter: These are all signs of the first drawback: 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 a little bit completely different with the Cup within the constructing.”

Paul Maurice framed it — as Paul Maurice does — as the last word objective all of a sudden 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. 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 pressure. The Panthers are so significantly 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 objective, two assists.

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

Öcal: Three factors complete.

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

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

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

Clark: It is arduous 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 relation to any Panthers participant is their consistency over the collection. After Recreation 3, it appeared as if Bobrovsky and Aleksander Barkov have been both the highest two favorites or among the many prime three favorites.

Since then, Bobrovsky has struggled to cease photographs whereas Barkov went from scoring 4 factors and being on the ice for zero targets in opposition to by means of the primary three video games to going pointless whereas being on the ice for 4 targets in opposition to (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 shedding 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 just lately.

Heading into Recreation 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.

Öcal: Connor McDavid, and it is not even shut. It is a playoffs award not a Stanley Cup Last award. However even when it was, No. 97 broke two No. 99 information 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 Recreation 6 possibilities with out Connor McDavid? Would Edmonton be within the Cup Last 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 isn’t any doubt he has had an MVP-worthy playoffs, too. However, even his stellar run is not on par with what McDavid has finished.

Wyshynski: The man I mentioned had an simple 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 recreation.

Except the voters have this unwavering dedication to the concept that a participant from the shedding group within the Last cannot win an award for most beneficial participant of the complete postseason — a reasonably daft notion, contemplating it has occurred 5 earlier instances — then McDavid wins the Conn Smythe even when he does not raise the Cup. He has led his group deep sufficient to justify it. He has shattered Gretzky’s file for assists in a single postseason and is poised to turn out to be the one participant aside from The Nice One in 1987 to have a hand in over 50% of his group’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 can be ______.

Clark: 4-3, Florida. Producing 26 photographs over the ultimate two intervals of Recreation 5, together with the very fact they outshot the Oilers 10-4 within the third interval, was essentially the most energetic the Panthers have regarded previously two video games. We have talked so much about how discovering any kind of breakthrough may very well be an indication. Perhaps this may be that for the Panthers.

And if it is not? Then, we will be asking if the Oilers are about to tug off the best comeback in NHL historical past, if not one of the best 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. Glad to be incorrect 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 group took the win and the opposite group took some confidence away of their loss. For about 25 minutes, the Panthers regarded like themselves once more, and Tkachuk regarded 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 does not fumble the bag and the Panthers grasp on within the last minute to win the Stanley Cup for the primary time.