Bring on Game 7! Grades, lessons and more from a wild Game 6 win for the Oilers
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Ryan S. Clark
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Kristen Shilton
The Stanley Cup was in the building again, ready to be awarded to the Florida Panthers if they won Game 6.
They did not.
The Edmonton Oilers scored the first three goals of the game en route to another dominant win, this one 5-1. In the process, they became just the third team in NHL history to come back from 0-3 in the Stanley Cup Final to tie it 3-3. The 1945 Detroit Red Wings came back but lost in Game 7, while the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs pulled off the reverse sweep.
We break it all down for you. Here are our grades for both teams, along with takeaways that stuck out most, key players to watch and the big questions left unanswered prior to Game 7 on Monday (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+).
Panthers grade: C-
The Panthers have no one to blame but themselves. They lost three straight games just twice in the regular season and are on the brink of letting a Stanley Cup slip away. Florida should have had a parade by now. Instead, it is returning with Edmonton back to the Sunshine State to see if there’s anything left in the tank to finally finish off an extremely worthy opponent.
The Panthers have been listless out of the gate since Game 3, allowing the Oilers to take leads they don’t relinquish. Florida’s previous commitment to all-around defensive play is rapidly evaporating and leaves Sergei Bobrovsky vulnerable. Florida’s special teams haven’t been clicking, either. The Panthers stars are (mostly) nonexistent, and all the yelling from coach Paul Maurice can’t shake anything loose to help Florida get over the hump.
Now, the Panthers are in a do-or-die position. And it feels like Edmonton is in far better shape to handle Game 7 better than Florida.
Oilers grade: A
The Oilers have acted as a collective, taking away time and space as a five-man unit. That dedication resulted in just two shots on goals for the Panthers in the first period, and the five goals came from players not named Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl (though the latter had a superb assist on the game’s opening goal). Edmonton previously showed it could survive in tight situations and exhibited bounce-back ability in the Western Conference finals. It has gone from allowing eight goals in Games 2 and 3 in the Finals to just five goals over the past three games.
These have all been flash points that added to the belief that the Oilers might be the most complete team in the NHL.
Those traits weren’t as visible to open the series, but they were in Game 6. And while there were times when the Panthers pushed back, if the Oilers replicate their Game 6 performance in Game 7 it could see them go from a free fall to start the season to raising the Cup for the first time since 1990.
What we learned in Game 6
Florida’s absent stars are an issue
Listen, when the Panthers had just two shots at even strength from forwards through the first two periods of Game 6, it was clear why they were trailing 3-0. At that point, Edmonton had scored 17 of the past 21 goals in the Cup Final, and it kept making Florida look average.
Where were Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe and Aleksander Barkov to lift the Panthers out of this rut? Granted, Barkov’s second-period goal was called back for Reinhart being offside — and he lit the lamp again for Florida’s only goal in the third period — but Florida’s captain cannot carry the load alone.
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Aleksander Barkov cuts into Panthers’ deficit with slick wrister
Aleksander Barkov weaves through traffic around the net and sneaks a quick shot past Stuart Skinner to get the Panthers within two scores.
The Panthers’ special teams are atrocious
It’s not just that Florida can’t score on special teams. Its power play can hardly generate a shot. Florida is 0-for-11 on the power play through its past three games, and during a critical third-period opportunity in Game 6, didn’t put up a single shot on Stuart Skinner.
Meanwhile, the Oilers were buzzing on their chances and making it difficult for Florida with the man advantage. Edmonton breathed life back into itself through special teams opportunities in Games 4 and 5; the Panthers’ failure to match has been a massive downfall. A series like this can be lost on special teams alone, and that’s the direction Florida is trending.
It wasn’t just one thing; it was several for the Oilers
It started with Kris Knoblauch’s decision to move Warren Foegele to the second line as a way to help generate some offensive consistency for Leon Draisaitl. That led to Draisaitl setting up Foegele for the game’s opening goal in Game 6. The Oilers also have the sort of structure that’s allowed them to find rush goals, including three of them in sequence.
Later, there was the successful coach’s challenge of Barkov’s goal that was a major momentum swing. And as it’s been stated several times during the playoffs, the Oilers won games without needing goals from Draisaitl or McDavid. For years, the concern surrounding the Oilers was whether or not they had enough options beyond those two. But as they showed in Game 6, they have several options that proved to be too much for the Panthers.
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Panthers coach Paul Maurice livid after goal overturned
Panthers coach Paul Maurice lets the officials hear it after Florida’s quick score was overturned against the Oilers.
The Oilers keep placing opposing star players in a defensive black hole
Even though Barkov scored, the struggles he and Matthew Tkachuk have had are part of a larger narrative about how star players are struggling against the Oilers in this postseason.
The Oilers held Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar, who has more than 1,200 career points, without a point over four games. Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller had 103 points in the regular season, but held without a point in three of seven games in the second round. While Jason Robertson scored a hat trick in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, the Oilers kept him without a point for the last three games of the series and four games overall.
Entering Game 6, Barkov and Tkachuk each had three Cup final games that saw them fail to record a point. The Oilers are forcing the Panthers’ depth options to beat them — and it’s been an effective strategy for the past three wins.
Players to watch in Game 7
Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Panthers
What McDavid has been to Edmonton, so has Bobrovsky been to Florida. And ultimately, whether the Panthers succeed or fail at winning the Cup will hinge on him.
Why? Because to this point in elimination games, Florida simply has not produced a dominant skater capable of taking over and single-handedly securing a victory. The only player the Panthers can rely on to do that — in a crunch-time situation — is Bobrovsky. He’s been their most consistent postseason performer, and the Panthers have been right to invest as much faith in him being a difference-maker. That will never be more pronounced or critical than in Game 7.
Leon Draisaitl, C, Oilers
Draisaitl made it clear after the morning skate Friday he wasn’t happy with the way he was playing and that he hadn’t found his game yet. His assist that gave the Oilers a 1-0 provided him a quick start that had been elusive.
Although he hasn’t scored a goal, he finished with three shots, while also drawing a penalty in the third period that slowed the Panthers for two more minutes. Draisaitl has had four games during the Cup Final in which he has finished with three shots. Could Game 7 provide him with the breakthrough to score his first goal since Game 4 of the Western Conference finals?
Big questions for Game 7
Are the Panthers championship material?
Nitpick any part of the Panthers game. It doesn’t matter at this stage. All that stands between Florida and closing out a series that could have been finalized a week ago is its ability to prove that the 16th win is within its grasp — that the Panthers themselves are made to be champions.
Florida has failed in three straight opportunities to send Edmonton packing. The lack of killer instinct goes against everything Florida showed until this point. Now it will be harder than ever to get the job done because Edmonton has all the momentum and every reason to believe it is on track to finish the job. Can the Panthers notch just one last victory?
Where would an Oilers Game 7 win rank among all-time comebacks?
Let’s say for the sake of discussion, they do win the Stanley Cup. Could it be the greatest comeback in NHL history and potentially the greatest comeback in the history of North American professional sports?
There’s the famed 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs who remain the only NHL team to win a Stanley Cup after a 3-0 deficit. The only other team in either a Major League Baseball or NBA playoffs series to achieve the feat was in 2004 when the Boston Red Sox rallied from a three-game hole to beat the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.
And while the NFL has a single-elimination format in the playoffs, the New England Patriots pulled off the largest comeback in Super Bowl history when they overcame a 28-3 hole in the second half to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime in Super Bowl LI.
If Edmonton pulls it off, this comeback will certainly have a strong case in the all-time debate.
Week 4 is here as we dive into another weekend of college football madness.
The biggest story going into Saturday’s slate of games is if Arch Manning will get his first college start. After capturing the attention of fans, he’ll have a lot to live up to in the spotlight as Texas faces UL Monroe.
USC will be making an appearance at the Big House for the first time in over 60 years as its visit will kick off conference play for the Trojans. Elsewhere in the Big Ten, No. 24 Illinois visits No. 22 Nebraska where one Illinois receiver lives out a different version of a dream he once had.
Before all of this plays out, Appalachian State gets things started as it hosts South Alabama on Thursday.
Our college football experts give insight on players, sound and storylines going into Week 4.
Jump to a section:
Texas QB depth | Illinois’ Pat Bryant | Must needs to win
New conference enemy | Quotes of the week
Stacked QB rooms are nothing new at Texas
Todd Dodge has a unique vantage point to the hysteria around Arch Manning, who made a national splash in his first extensive playing time at Texas after starter and Heisman Trophy candidate Quinn Ewers sustained an oblique injury.
Dodge, a quarterback guru and legendary Texas high school coach with seven state championships — including three-peats at two different schools — lived in the burnt orange spotlight himself. As the first Texas high school quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season in 1980, he was a star recruit for the Longhorns who started as a celebrity backup himself.
“The most popular guy in any college town is the No. 2 quarterback,” said Dodge, now the coach at Lovejoy High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “I’ve been the No. 2 where I couldn’t buy my own dinner and everybody wanted to let me know how much they thought I ought to be playing. And I’ve been the No. 1 who’s played well, who was probably over-fawned-over and then I’ve been the No. 1 when the team lost and I didn’t play well and I’m the biggest bum in three counties.”
He said fans often assume a quarterback room is filled with jealousy or back-biting, but in his career, he has found it to be the opposite, which Steve Sarkisian reiterated Monday when he said nothing changes if Manning starts. The bond between Ewers and his backup is evident, Dodge said. And he is familiar with both players and their families, namely Ewers, because his son Riley, was Ewers’ head coach at Southlake Carroll.
“They’re very, very talented young men that both could be playing almost anywhere in the country, but the No. 2’s family [the Mannings] put tremendous value in development and patience,” he said. “To me, that takes a little bit of the angst off of me as the starter knowing that I don’t have a backup who’s out there just every waning minute trying to convince people that he ought to be the guy.”
Greg Davis, too, experienced the attention in his time in Austin. In 1998, Major Applewhite went 8-2 as the starter, was selected Big 12 Freshman of the Year, then Texas landed the No. 1 prospect in the country, Chris Simms, the well-pedigreed son of New York Giants legend Phil Simms. For the next three years, Simms and Applewhite both had their high points, and both served as co-starters. How do you manage that situation?
“Obviously you don’t live in a vacuum,” according to Davis, offensive coordinator under Mack Brown. “You’re aware of what they say in the grocery store.” Davis has ties to the Mannings himself. He recruited Eli alongside Simms, recruited Peyton at Arkansas and offered Arch’s dad, Cooper, when he was coaching at Tulane.
Davis said the pressure inside the building doesn’t come from attention or fans in the grocery store. It comes from picking the player who had the best chance to win. For Dodge, there’s no question, especially after seeing Ewers beat Oklahoma, then Alabama and Michigan in huge road victories.
“Gosh, all of us Texas fans are fired up about what Arch did the other day,” Dodge said. “But in the big picture, there’s a reason why Quinn Ewers is the starter. When you start having to face Georgia and people like that, well, it doesn’t mean that Arch Manning can’t have a bang-up game against a Georgia or an Alabama. It’s just that Quinn Ewers has already done it.” — Dave Wilson
Illinois’ Bryant dreams big after being molded through tragedy
Tattoos are filling up Pat Bryant’s body, memorializing those whose lives once ran parallel to his but diverged and ended far too soon.
Bryant, the star senior wide receiver for No. 24 Illinois, now has four tattoos honoring his friends from Jacksonville, Florida, who have died in recent years. One of the most painful came only two days after Bryant and the Illini played in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, when Bryant’s best friend, Alim Denson, nicknamed “Twin,” died while in prison.
“A lot of those guys, I grew up playing sports with, we all had the same dream,” Bryant said. “Being able to reach my dream, knowing they’re looking down on me, they’re very, very proud. Also, for the kids of the community, I want to show them that there’s more to life than gun violence, drugs. I just want to be a great role model for my community.”
Bryant, who leads Illinois with 235 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season, has contributed to a new community, far from home. He was named a team captain last month, as he prepared for his third season as a starter.
The 6-foot-3 Bryant received 33 scholarship offers in high school, including all the in-state schools, except the one he truly wanted, Florida, where both of his parents attended. Bryant committed to Illinois in June 2020, essentially sight unseen, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But in mid-December, just before the end of a delayed and shortened season, Illinois fired coach Lovie Smith. The first high school signing day was just three days away. Wide receivers coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker called Bryant and encouraged him to sign anyway, which he did. Three days later, Illinois hired Bret Bielema to replace Smith.
When Bryant finally visited Champaign, there was some confusion.
“I flew in, thinking the University of Illinois was in Chicago,” Bryant said. “I get off the plane, we get in an Uber, they’re taking us to the dorm, and I’m just waiting to see the big skyline. And I see corn field after corn field. I was like, ‘There’s no way,’ but I adapted to where I was. Great college town.”
Bryant has built a strong connection to Champaign. Earlier this month, he and two teammates pooled their NIL earnings to donate backpacks and school supplies to local children. Bryant’s desire to give back stems in part from his father, Patrick, the athletic director of the Police Athletic League of Jacksonville, which places officers to help with youth sports programs around the city. Pat Jr. played basketball and flag football in the league.
“He’s been nothing but a class example of everything we believe in here,” Bielema said.
After seven touchdown catches in 2023, Bryant is on pace for a breakout season, which continues Friday night at No. 22 Nebraska. Bielema has received good reviews from NFL scouts on Bryant, who also excels with run blocking. Bryant’s path reminds Bielema of the Atlanta Falcons’ Casey Washington.
At a morning meeting after Illinois’ second win, Bielema recognized Bryant as the team’s top overall performer.
“He lives a routine every day that gives him an advantage,” Bielema said. “We talked about how he’s in the building by 5:15 a.m., he doesn’t have to be checked in by 6:30. It’s just an awesome thing to witness. He knows where he’s at, he knows how to take care of himself. Unfortunately, he’s had some tragedy in his life and it helps motivate him for the future.”
Bryant plays for Denson and the other friends he has lost, but he’s also focused on his current teammates.
“I feel like I have a powerful voice, I can relate to everyone on the team,” he said. “I feel people respect me, not only because of my game but because of the kind of person I am.” — Adam Rittenberg
What teams need to capitalize on to win
Utah: Any sort of analysis about this game for the Utes has to begin with the status of quarterback Cam Rising. There hasn’t been an official update about whether he will play, but it’s hard not to interpret the fact that he spoke to reporters this week about the game as an indicator he will be available — unless it’s an elaborate form of gamesmanship, which cannot be ruled out. After falling behind 14-3 to Utah State last week, the Utes were able to come back and win comfortably, but it’s important the Utes don’t follow that script again. Independent of whether Rising plays, the Utes are at their best when the running game does the heavy lifting, and it does not suit their strengths to go into catch-up mode. This is especially true against an explosive offense like Oklahoma State. The best-case scenario here for the Utes is if Rising plays, they establish Micah Bernard early and neutralize Ollie Gordon II to a reasonable degree. — Kyle Bonagura
Oklahoma State: With back-to-back games against Utah and Kansas State to begin the 2024 Big 12 slate, Oklahoma State is about to enter a season-defining stretch. What better way for the Cowboys to make a statement in the Big 12 title hunt than by figuring out the running game and unleashing reigning Doak Walker Award winner Gordon in Week 4?
Coach Mike Gundy says he’s “not concerned” about Oklahoma State’s start on the ground this seasos. But through Week 3, the Cowboys rank 105th in rushing among FBS offenses and Gordon is averaging 3.5 yards per carry, down from 6.1 in 2023 when Gordon finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting. Oklahoma State leaned on its passing game to storm past Tulsa last Saturday when Gordon carried 17 times for just 41 yards. Relying so heavily on quarterback Alan Bowman won’t be as easy this weekend against Utah’s 26th-ranked pass defense. The Cowboys’ broader College Football Playoff aspirations probably hinge on finding a way to get Gordon and the run game going. Saturday against Utah is a good place for them to start. — Eli Lederman
Get to know your new conference enemy
With so much anticipation heading into this season about the new West Coast additions of the Big Ten playing matchups like this one, it’s hard to believe how much USC and Michigan have already switched roles.
The defending national champion has not looked the part after losing its head coach in Jim Harbaugh, but also plenty of talent on the field such as quarterback J.J. McCarthy and running back Blake Corum, among several others. After losing 31-12 to Texas at home and struggling on offense last week against Arkansas State, this isn’t exactly looking like the encore Wolverines fans envisioned.
Now, USC comes to town for its first marquee Big Ten game, looking far removed from the bitter end it had to the Caleb Williams era last year. After firing defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, Lincoln Riley revamped the defensive staff with former UCLA coordinator D’Anton Lynn, and after a statement win over LSU in the opener and a shutout of Utah State at home, the Trojans are coming off a bye week and look to be on the way up.
Despite any momentum USC might have, the concept of playing — and winning — a road game in the Big House looms large on any opponent, especially one that hasn’t been there since 1958. Though USC players keep harping on their improved physicality in the trenches being the deciding factor in this game, Riley has remained adamant over the past week that despite its struggles, Michigan is a really good team with NFL-caliber players. You can see how much he is trying to will his team to not view itself as the favorites, even if the odds say so.
“Everybody wants to write the story after a couple of games in the season for everyone,” Riley said this week. “And it’s a long season, man. That’s a good football team that we have a lot of respect for. To have anything less would be a mistake on our part.” — Paolo Uggetti
Quotes of the week
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“Yeah, there’s an old quarterback from Muleshoe, Texas that’s going to come out of retirement, can see if his legs still got it,” Lincoln Riley, smiling, when asked if USC has someone on the scout team that can replicate what Michigan QB Alex Orji does on the ground. “No, we got a couple of guys that we’re trying to use a little bit. But he’s a really good athlete. I told people last night I was familiar with him. We recruited him a little bit coming out of high school, remember, I have a lot of respect for him as a player and an athlete.”
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“I thought that they were trying to make it hard on us, to be honest with you,” Mike Gundy said Monday with Oklahoma State staring down back-to-back meetings against conference favorites Utah and Kansas State to open Big 12 play. “Commissioner [Brett Yormark] is my buddy, but he doesn’t do the scheduling. So, I’ve sent the wrong guy pecans for Christmas. I should’ve sent the scheduling guy pecans for Christmas.”
NEW YORK — Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their third consecutive playoff appearance Friday night with a 12-2 victory over the New York Mets.
Assured at least a National League wild card, the Phillies can secure their first NL East title since 2011 with one more win this weekend against the second-place Mets at Citi Field.
With the division crown so close, Philadelphia planned a mellow celebration following Friday night’s game — hoping to let loose soon with a boozy clubhouse bash after locking up first place.
Seeking their third World Series championship, the Phillies overtook Atlanta for the division lead on May 3 and haven’t trailed since. Their victory coupled with the Braves’ 4-3 loss in Miami eliminated Atlanta from contention for the NL East crown — ending its six-year reign atop the division.
Alec Bohm had four hits and four RBIs, including a three-run homer, in Friday night’s blowout. Nick Castellanos had three hits and two RBIs, J.T. Realmuto added a two-run homer and the Phillies extended their NL East lead to seven games over the second-place Mets (85-69) with eight to play.
Philadelphia stole five bases — four in a six-run fourth inning capped by Bohm’s homer off reliever Adam Ottavino. Johan Rojas had a two-run double off starter David Peterson (9-3), who was pulled after just 64 pitches and 3 2/3 innings — his shortest start of the season.
Cristopher Sanchez (11-9) overcame a shaky start and five walks in five innings for the win. Philadelphia outhit the Mets 17-4.
Philadelphia (92-62) has the best record in the major leagues and is on track for a first-round bye in the playoffs. It’s the third time the Phillies have reached the postseason three years in a row (1976-78 and 2007-11).
Philadelphia won five straight NL East titles from 2007-11, then went 10 years without making the playoffs. A wild-card entry each of the past two postseasons, the Phillies put together consecutive October runs that ended in heartbreak.
They reached the 2022 World Series, losing to Houston in six games, and dropped a seven-game NL Championship Series to Arizona last year after leading the underdog Diamondbacks 2-0 and 3-2.
So this time, the Phillies are looking to go all the way and finally finish the job.
Philadelphia’s only World Series championships came in 1980 and 2008.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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