Skinner shaky, penalty trouble and more: 3 reasons why Edmonton Oilers lost 4-3 to Florida Panthers 

The Edmonton Oilers dropped a 4-3 decision to the Florida Panthers on Thursday night at Amerant Bank Arena. The loss extended the Oilers’ losing streak to five. The Panthers reclaimed first place in the Atlantic Division, leapfrogging the idle Toronto Maple Leafs.

Brett Kulak, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman scored for the Oilers. Meanwhile, Uvis Balinskis, Anton Lundell, Nate Schmidt and Carter Verhaeghe scored for the Panthers.

Here’s a closer look at three reasons why the Edmonton Oilers lost to the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.

3 reasons why Edmonton Oilers lost 4-3 to Florida Panthers

#3. Oilers outplayed

Overall, the Oilers were outplayed on Thursday night. The Panthers outshot their opponents 36-27, including a 12-10 edge in the third period.

The Cats killed off both Edmonton power plays while getting a decisive 26-15 in hits. The more physical game on the Panthers’ part made it tough for the Oilers to get much offense going. The Panthers capped off the night with five takeaways while smothering Connor McDavid.

The Panthers’ efforts earned them a convincing win despite the late goal by Zach Hyman that made the final score much closer than it was.

#2. Penalty trouble

The Edmonton Oilers had a total of 17 penalty minutes in the game. In particular, the Oilers ran into penalty trouble in the third period. The three minor penalties derailed the momentum the Oilers had been trying to build.

While the Panthers did not score on any of their six power play opportunities, the fact that the Oilers spent a fair chunk of time killing penalties in the game made it much more challenging for McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to do their part.

It’s worth pointing out that the worst penalty came in the dying seconds of the third period, as Corey Perry was called for hooking. The penalty effectively dashed any hopes the Oilers had of getting the equalizer.

#1. Skinner shaky

Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner made 32 saves on the night. While that was certainly a solid effort, the biggest issue lay with the saves he didn’t make. Specifically, the two goals surrendered in the third period were ones Skinner would like to have back.

Here's a look at Nate Schmidt’s go-ahead goal:

The goal started on a bad line change by the Oilers. The ensuing turnover at the Panthers’ blue line led to a rush chance in which Schmidt fired a point shot that Skinner didn’t see. Skinner was in a good position to make the save, but couldn’t react in time.

Carter Verhaeghe’s goal came off a similar misread from Skinner, allowing Verhaeghe to pick a loose puck and bury it in the wide-open net.

The Edmonton Oilers will look to regroup as they continue their East-coast swing against the Carolina Hurricanes next at PNC Arena on Saturday.