3 things Edmonton Oilers did wrong in Stanley Cup Final Game 7 loss to Florida Panthers

The Edmonton Oilers dropped Game 7, 2-1, to the Florida Panthers on Monday. The Panthers captured their first Stanley Cup, as the Oilers ran out of gas in the third period.

Despite a valiant effort, the Oilers couldn't pull off their miracle comeback. While forcing a Game 7 after being 3-0 down was impressive, the Oilers head back home wondering about the what-ifs.

With that in mind, here’s a look at what went wrong for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final:

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Three things the Edmonton Oilers got wrong in Game 7

#1 The Oilers stacked the top line down the stretch

As coach Kris Knoblauch had done all season, he stacked the top line with Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl. On the surface, the approach allowed the Oilers to maximize their most dangerous offensive weapons, but the strategy played right into the Panthers' hands.

Loading up on the top line allowed Panthers coach Paul Maurice to deploy his top defensive players. In particular, Maurice could use elite defensive forward Sasha Barkov against McDavid, allowing Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad to handle the rest of the Oilers’ top weapons.

The other downside of stacking the top line was the eventual fatigue the Oilers’ top forwards faced. They were visibly gassed during the final 45 seconds. As a result, they couldn’t push hard enough to challenge the Panthers down the stretch.

#2 The Oilers couldn’t get past the Panthers defense

The Panthers magically returned to the hard-checking, grinding style that gave them a 3-0 lead. The Panthers kept the Edmonton Oilers to the outside of the slot, neutralizing much of the speed and skill McDavid and Draisaitl aptly display.

Moreover, the Panthers kept the front of the net clear, facilitating Sergei Bobrovsky to see the puck well. It’s also worth pointing out that Bobrovsky played brilliantly, making several crucial saves in the third period.

#3 The Oilers waited too long to pull Skinner

The Oilers didn’t pull goaltender Stuart Skinner for an extra attacker until there was a little over a minute left in the third.

By then, McDavid, Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard were completely out of gas. The push was far too soft from Edmonton, allowing Florida to kill time by trapping the puck along the boards.

Had the Oilers split up their top offensive players throughout the third and stacked the top line by about three minutes to play, the Oilers could have had their top scorers fresh during the six-on-five push.

However, the Edmonton Oilers waited until there was very little time left, eventually missing out on an opportunity to tie the game.