Florida Panthers Fall Flat to the Edmonton Oilers, 4-2

After defeating the Bruins last Thursday, the Florida Panthers were looking to extend their win streak to two, facing off against the struggling Edmonton Oilers.

Netminders Roberto Luongo and Cam Talbot would each get the start for their respective sides this afternoon. Although, only one would remain victorious today, but who would it be?

The Panthers came out flying, firing on all cylinders to begin the first. Edmonton were struggling to keep up with the high-flying Panthers, with Cam Talbot remaining solid in between the pipes. No matter how many shots the Panthers threw at Cam Talbot, he was there to stop them all, keeping the score tied at zero.

It was just under ten minutes when Micheal Haley and Jujhar Khaira each dropped the gloves and went for a little dance. Haley gave his side some extra energy, while Khaira tried to wake up his sleepy side.

As the period progressed, so did the Panthers play. Florida were pouring pressure down deep in the Oilers’ zone, but failed to capitalize on their scoring chances. Talbot was standing tall for his team, continuously denying every puck that came his way.

With under three minutes left in the first, the Panthers got their first power play, courtesy of Oscar Klefbom (tripping). Florida’s man advantage was sloppy, failing to set up in the Oilers’ zone. The first period would end with a score of zero apiece. Cam Talbot was surely the difference maker in the period, keeping his side tied in a game that was all Florida in play.

The second period was more or less like the first, with the Panthers completely dominating the Oilers in their own half. Florida’s strong pressure led to a power play early on, with Milan Lucic heading off for a cross-check on Ian McCoshen.

Florida’s second man advantage was also disappointing, failing to capitalize on the scoring chances that they had created. Edmonton were doing a solid job at keeping the Panthers boxed out, limiting the amount of real-estate they were given.

It wasn’t long after until the Panthers broke the deadlock. Frank Vatrano raced down the ice, beating Cam Talbot to the puck and slotting in the game’s first goal. It was a goal Talbot would’ve loved to have back, considering the poorly timed pinch he made.

A couple of minutes later, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins leveled up the scoring from a shorthanded goal. The Panthers were on their third man advantage when Ryan raced down the ice and squeaked a shot by Roberto Luongo:

A few minutes afterwards, Vincent Trocheck regained the Panthers’ lead, squeaking a shot underneath Talbot’s blocker:

The Panthers had a total of three power plays during the course of the second period, failing to cash in on all of them. Goaltending appeared to be sloppy throughout the second, with both netminders allowing incredibly soft goals.

The second ended with the Panthers leading by a score of 2-1; however, would the Cats continue this momentum to begin the third?

The answer to that would be no. Connor McDavid scored thirty-eight seconds in the second, evening the score at two goals apiece. McDavid spun around and wired a wrist shot past Roberto Luongo. It was a shot he wasn’t fully expecting:

Florida had the opportunity to regain their lead minutes later, as Ty Rattie committed a holding penalty against Aleksander Barkov, sending the Cats to their fifth power play of the game. But like their four other man advantages, the Panthers failed yet again to capitalize being a man up.

Around the six and a half mark into the third, the Edmonton Oilers took their first lead of the game, through Adam Larsson. Larsson walked in, sliding a pass off Roberto Luongo’s stick and in:

The Cats found themselves in some pretty hot water, as they managed to blow their 2-1 lead. They went from playing a solid first-two periods, to allowing their opposition to totally take over. The Panthers knew they needed to claw their way back, and time really wasn’t on their side.

The Panthers continued to throw everything at Cam Talbot, with hopes that they could find an equalizer. Their desperation level went from 0 -100 real quick, considering they needed the two points.

They happened to get their sixth power play with six minutes left in play when Leon Draisaitl viciously cross-checked Frank Vatrano. The man advantage was struggling all night, and the sixth one wasn’t any different. At the end of it, the Panthers went a total of 0/6 on the power play.

Ty Rattie added an empty-netter with under a minute left in play, signaling the end of the game for the Florida Panthers, as the Edmonton Oilers went on to win by a score of 4-2.

Next: Florida Panthers need to Eliminate Bad Starts to their Games

Overall, this game was one the Panthers would love to have back, considering where they currently sit in the standings. Poor execution on the man advantage, as well as a couple of soft goals given up, was the main cause for the loss this afternoon. Your Panthers are back in action on Monday, March 19th @7:30pm against the Montreal Canadiens!