Oilers shrug off ‘what-ifs,’ turn page after OT loss
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Kristen Shilton
SUNRISE, Fla. — The Edmonton Oilers were one shot away from taking a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final against Florida.
Instead, it was one shot against them — in Friday’s Game 2 double-overtime thriller — that gave the Panthers a 5-4 win and evened the series as it shifts to the Sunshine State.
Taking the split at home was a tough pill to swallow for Edmonton. But the Oilers are determined not to dwell on what could have been.
“Right after the game, there’s frustration and the what-ifs start going through your head a little bit,” Leon Draisaitl said following the Oilers’ practice Sunday. “But the next day you move on. You have no choice. We’ve got to get ready for [Game 3] tomorrow, coming in here, looking to play our best game.”
The Cup Final has highlighted dominant stretches for both sides — making the margins for error wafer thin. Edmonton rallied to edge Florida 4-3 in Game 1 thanks to Draisaitl’s overtime marker, a dramatic start to the rematch of last year’s final that saw Florida down the Oilers in seven games. The uptick of intensity in Game 2 further cemented how tight the series projects to be from here.
Edmonton has learned from experience, carrying it over to help manage the inevitable emotions that come with vying for hockey’s holy grail.
“Especially at this point, the magnitude of the series, you just get more comfortable with [the emotions]” defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “There’s going to be highs and lows. There are two really good teams playing against each other. There’s close to zero chance there’s going to be a sweep. So, you’re going to face some challenges at some point. For us in Game 2, losing in double OT, you were coming off an emotional high [from Game 1], and then you hit an emotional low. But now we come back and just know the importance of this Game 3 and playing hard.”
Getting back on the road can help, too. Edmonton has dropped just one game in enemy territory over its past two playoff series. It’s a little different now being back in Florida — considering that’s where Edmonton lost Game 7 of the Cup Final last year — but the Oilers expect to feel at home in Sunrise.
“We’ve got a good mentality on the road — sticking together, that’s been a big one,” forward Connor Brown said. “Just the belief in our group and a belief in one another, it’s huge. It’s the name of the game here, when you get deep in the playoffs, is finding that balancing act of not getting too high or low. It was an emotional win in Game 1. Both teams have kind of felt that.”
Coach Kris Knoblauch got his team together for Sunday’s on-ice session knowing the Oilers’ biggest names — including Draisaitl and Connor McDavid — would lead by example in helping Edmonton turn the page to what’s ahead in their next crack at the Panthers.
“I’ve seen it firsthand, no matter where we are after a big win or loss, they really set the tone and a work mentality of ‘This is business,'” Knoblauch said of the team’s top skaters. “Today was a little practice day, almost a formality, but they’re getting out on the ice and there’s repetition and drills and they’re focused. Everyone knows what’s at stake right now, and it’s nothing to take lightly, [so] let’s make sure we get prepared for our next game.”
For Knoblauch, that included making a few lineup changes at practice. He mixed up the Oilers’ defense pairings, putting Nurse with Evan Bouchard, Brett Kulak beside Jake Walman and Mattias Ekholm with John Klingberg. Edmonton was also missing top-line forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, whom Knoblauch characterized as a “game-time decision” for Monday. Jeff Skinner skated in Nugent-Hopkins place with McDavid and Corey Perry.
“We’re always making adjustments and countering what the other team is doing, [and assessing] who’s playing well,” Knoblauch said. “Our lines and D-pairs might switch up a little bit, whether it’s in the first period or is later in the game, whatever it is. Our players are comfortable with any of the changes we do make just because of how much we’ve fluctuated our lines and pairings all season.”
Anything to gain an advantage. It has been a series quickly defined by high scores and little leeway. Edmonton isn’t expecting much to change in Game 3 — or beyond.
“You’re not going to face very many teams where you’re just running over them for 60 minutes,” Draisaitl said. “Both games have been very tight and gone the distance and extra [time], so you have two really good teams going at it. [We] have to stay detailed and know all those little bounces matter.”
AMES, Iowa — No. 14 Iowa State‘s secondary will be without longtime starters Jontez Williams and Jeremiah Cooper for the rest of the season because of knee injuries.
Coach Matt Campbell announced Tuesday that Williams damaged the ACL in his right knee late in the Cyclones’ 39-14 win over Arizona on Saturday. Cooper tore his ACL in practice last week. The two have combined for 55 starts.
Williams, an Associated Press All-Big 12 second-team pick in 2024, had one interception and two pass breakups this season. He was hurt with three minutes left against Arizona as he dove in an attempt to knock a ball away from a receiver.
“So that’s a situation that really stinks for the kid,” Campbell said. “But man, just how he’s handled it has been uber impressive. And a great human. He’ll be back ready to rock and roll next year.”
Cooper has made 36 starts since 2022 and was an AP All-Big 12 first-team pick at safety in 2023. He switched to cornerback full time this season and had an interception and three pass breakups through four games.
Tre Bell, a transfer from Lindenwood, made his first start for the Cyclones in Cooper’s place against Arizona. Quentin Taylor Jr., who played 26 snaps against Arizona, would be in line to make his first start when the Cyclones (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) visit Cincinnati (3-1, 1-0) on Saturday.
Inspirational thought of the week:
I hear your laugh
And look up smiling at you
I run and run
Past the pumpkin patch
And the tractor rides
Look now, the sky is gold
I hug your legs
And fall asleep on the way home
I don’t know why all the trees change in the fall
But I know you’re not scared of anything at all
— “The Best Day,” Taylor Swift
Here at Bottom 10 Headquarters, located beneath the pile of regret RSVP cards at Rece Davis’ house because his daughter scheduled a fall wedding, now that October has arrived, we know exactly where you will all have been this week. Standing in line with us, waiting for the store to open at midnight Oct. 3 to sell us the first copies of Tay-Tay’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Yes, this week the World’s Most Famous Chiefs Fan Not Named Ant-Man drops her new batch of songs, but we also know that as the Bottom 10 faithful camp out on the sidewalk, they will be listening to another playlist of sweet tunes. I’m speaking of the fight songs of Sam Houston, We Have a Problem on Thursday night. Then, the Charlotte 1-and-3’ers, San No-sé State and Colora-duh State on Friday night. All programs that are in their own “Era” of writing “Bottom 10’s Version” of their “Reputation” for “Evermore.”
And while we watch those games, at some point we will realize that it isn’t “1989” and we no longer have to be in line to buy a new record. Or buy records at all. We can download them to our phones. Or as we call them here in the B10CU, the Bottom 10 Cinematic Universe, our pocket computers.
With apologies to the Taylor University Trojans, former Nebraska wide receiver Nate Swift and Steve Harvey, here are the post-Week 5 Bottom 10 rankings.
The Bearkats kruised through their skheduled open date and now koncentrate on krossing the Rio Grande for a kontest kounter to New Mexiko State, who were just konquered by New Mexiko in Albukuerkue.
Have you seen that meme of Cookie Monster drumming his fingers on the table, impatiently waiting to go bonkers on a yet-to-arrive tray of cookies? Yeah, that’s us, waiting for the Oct. 11 Pillow Fight of the Week of the Year of the Century Mega Bowl, when the Minutemen travel to face State of Kent, who are 1-3 after taking the week off. But before that, UMass hosts Western Not Eastern Michigan, while Kent will be getting run over by the Sooner Schooner like a snake trying to cross an Oklahoma freeway.
In Westwood, they said bye to their coach, then they had a bye week, then they lost at Bottom 10 Wait Listers Northworstern, then they raced USC back to Los Angeles, both wondering why they said bye to having all those games closer to home in the league they said bye to too.
Speaking of the Artist Formerly Known But Soon To Be Known Again As The Pac-12, the Beavers became the nation’s first five-loss team after a near-win over undefeated Houston Not Sam Houston. Now they travel east to face Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina, where I once camped with the Boy Scouts and had all of our food stolen by actual beavers.
There are those who might try to convince you that Penn State’s White Out didn’t work the night they played Oregon, but it did. Watch James Franklin’s postgame news conference when he was asked about his record against top-10 teams. He totally used virtual Wite-Out to paint over the word “narrative” and change it to “factual.”
I was roasted over mesquite, and rightfully so, for omitting Oklahoma State from these rankings one week ago after it lost to Living On Tulsa Time at home and then fired Mike “I’m a man! I’m 58!” Gundy. It was a mistake. I was in denial. But I was snapped out of that trance of disbelief by all of the DMs and texts from Stillwater phone numbers saying that I had to have Oklahoma State in here this week or lose all credibility, including one from what my caller ID listed as “Gundy, M.”
The Spartans Not Trojans are one of a whopping four Mountain West teams stuck at 1-3, but won, er, lost out for this spot over the other three because: A. They actually played a game last weekend; 3. They lost the Pillow Fight of the Week to neighbor and fellow Bottom 10 Waiting Lister Stanfird by one point; and fifthly, they can probably sneak up on New Mexico this weekend because the Lobos have spent all week with upset tummies after spending a week eating from college football’s new greatest rivalry trophy, the Chile Roaster.
I feel very strongly that we as a nation aren’t making a big enough deal out of this new chile roaster trophy for New Mexico-New Mexico State. pic.twitter.com/ls0s5X1ETA
— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) September 28, 2025
The Other Other Huskies are one of a whopping six #MACtion team stuck at 1-and-something, but won, er, lost out for this spot over the other five because: 1. They actually played a game last weekend; C. They lost to San Diego State, which isn’t terrible, but the final score of the game was 6-3; and secondly, we wanted a chance to hype this week’s Pillow Fight of the Week, when they host My Hammy of Ohio, which is now 1-3 after beating Lindenwood, a school you’ve never heard of unless you are a big Pierre Desir fan.
The Red Wolves are one of a not-as-whopping but still not small three Fun Belt teams stuck at 1-and-something, but won, er, lost out for this spot over the other two because: I. They actually played last weekend; IV. They lost to our old friends and former Bottom 10 stalwart ULM (pronounced “uhlm”); and XL. That Week 2 loss to now-head coach-less Arkansaw by 42 points is aging about as well as that bottle of gas station chardonnay that I accidentally left under the seat of my truck all summer.
My hometown team is one of a totally-not-whopping-but-still-seems-like-a-lot-for-one-conference-after-only-one-month-of-football three Just American teams stuck at 1-and-something, but won, er … OK, yeah … I’m tired of this bit too. Almost as tired as the Niners fans will be of watching US(not C)F run up and down the field on Friday night. The good news? Shortly after the game ends, they can ease their pain by listening to Tay’s new album.
Waiting list: State of Kent, UTEPid, Muddled Tennessee State, Northworstern, FA(not I)U, Bah-stan Cawledge, Clempson, Flori-duh, Georgia State Not Southern, Colora-duh State, No-vada, Stanfird, My Hammy of Ohio, South Alabama Redundancies, Give Me Liberty Or Give Me 1-4, Akronmonious, Baller State, a college football world without Sam Pittman in it.
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