Thoughts on five Oilers ahead of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final

Through two games in the Finals, he leads the Oilers at 5v5 with a 72.09 expected goals-for percentage, a 61.11 scoring chances-for percentage, and a 78.57 high-danger chances-for percentage. He’s also drawn two penalties — one of which came when Seth Jones, his former teammate in Chicago, threw him to the ground in a way that you’d see more on WWE’s “Friday Night SmackDown” than in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

That said, with Sam Bennett having already ‘naturally’ fallen on Stuart Skinner a few times through two games and saying, “That’s where I’m going to be for the rest of the series,” if that’s the case, A) the Oilers need to keep Bennett in check moving forward, and B) I wouldn’t mind seeing Perry just ‘casually’ fall on top of Bobrovsky a bit more in the series as well.

Kapanen Has Been Close to Burying the Winner in Both Overtimes

Kasperi Kapanen is likely playing the best hockey of his career right now, recording two assists in Game 1 and nearly scoring the overtime winner in that same game — splitting the defence and going in all alone on Bobrovsky before hitting the post. Then, in Game 2’s extra session, he almost ended it again, finding open space, receiving a pass from Vasily Podkolzin, and getting a Grade A chance to bury it, but the Panthers’ netminder shut the door.

Yet, despite not burying his recent OT chances in the Stanley Cup Final, Kapanen has that clutch gene in him, having scored some big goals in his career — like the gold medal-clinching OT goal at the 2016 World Juniors, a double-OT winner with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and of course, the OT winner in Game 5 of the second round with the Oilers against the Golden Knights, sending his team to the next round.

That said, if there are any other overtimes in the series and the Oilers are looking for a different look, Kapanen should get some shifts on the big line with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with the way he’s playing. After all, it’s worked before, with Draisaitl assisting on the Finnish forward’s OT winner against Vegas in Game 5.

Jake Walman’s Added a Little Extra Spice to His Game in the Finals

Jake Walman has been such a great pickup for the Oilers, and the more he plays, the more we’re discovering new things about his game. We knew that he was a very mobile D-man who makes a strong first pass and has a great shot. According to NHL Edge data, his hardest shot in the playoffs was clocked at 97.32 mph in Game 2 against the Panthers, placing him in the 94th percentile in the NHL. Additionally, we learned that he’s a shot-blocking machine, leading the playoffs with 49 blocks.

Yet, we’re also learning he’s got a bit of a mean, pesky edge to him — just what the Oilers need against the Panthers.

In Game 1, he laughed in the face of Tomas Nosek after the Panther got a delay of game penalty in OT, with the Oilers capitalizing on the ensuing power play. In Game 2, he had a stare-down with Luostarinen, bumped him, and then got a stinky glove in his face.

Overall, he’s added a bit of an agitator’s edge to his repertoire alongside his offensive flair. On that note, the fact that he was trusted to man the blue line late in Game 2 speaks volumes about the confidence his coaches have in him and he delivered, firing the point shot that set up Corey Perry’s late equalizer and picking up a big assist on the tying goal.

Evan Bouchard Didn’t Just Give Up on Marchand’s OT Goal in Game 2

There were many fantastic plays in Game 2, like McDavid’s ridiculous dangles leading up to the 3-2 goal, but the most important play was Brad Marchand’s double-overtime winner — a play where Evan Bouchard took some heat online because it appeared like he stopped skating.

I feel that when you look at Bouchard through the lens of “he’s terrible defensively,” you’ll focus on plays that support that view. But on the other hand, there are defensive plays he makes that often go unnoticed because he makes them look effortless. For example, in Game 2, he broke up an odd-man rush with a great read and a simple stick play, stopping a one-timer chance. Also, early in the third period, Carter Verhaeghe came out of the penalty box and went one-on-one with Bouchard and just when it looked like the Oilers’ D-man might get beaten, he made an excellent stick lift, erasing the dangerous chance.

Yet, the glaring play that stands out from Game 2 was Marchand’s game-winning goal in overtime. Bouchard was caught flat-footed on an unfortunate sequence when Mattias Ekholm fired the puck wide. For those who think Bouchard made a bad pinch, instead of the puck rolling toward the blue line where he could have picked it up, it took a bad bounce right onto the stick of Anton Lundell, who sprung Marchand for a breakaway.

That said, there was a lot of chatter on X, with some thinking Bouchard gave up on the play and stopped chasing Marchand. However, Oilersnation’s Tyler Yaremchuk made a solid point, tweeting, “You need to play to clear away a potential rebound if your partner has the guy chased down,” meaning Bouchard recognized that Draisaitl had the better angle and speed to catch up to Marchand.

Adding to that, if we compare the skating metrics between Draisaitl and Bouchard, Draisaitl’s top speed in these playoffs is 22.89 MPH (94th percentile), while Bouchard’s is 21.26 MPH (58th percentile). Statistically, Draisaitl — who was already in full stride — had the better chance to close the gap on Marchand. From my view, Bouchard recognized this and made the calculated decision to slow down and cover the trailing attacker instead, which made it look like he quit on the play. And who knows, maybe Draisaitl even said, “I got him.” Had Stuart Skinner made the save, Bouchard would’ve been in position to quickly transition the puck — potentially finding McDavid in stride going the other way.

I’m not saying Bouchard doesn’t have flaws in his game, because he does, but he also makes good defensive plays that often go unnoticed. Nevertheless, one thing everyone can likely agree on, though, is the playoff offensive juggernaut he is, with a goal and an assist in the first period alone of Game 2. Moreover, as the Sportsnet broadcast showed, since 2022 in the playoffs, among D-men, he ranks first in goals (20), power-play goals (8), game-tying or go-ahead goals (10), and game-winning goals (6). Simply put, Bouchard is playoff-clutch.

The Oilers’ loss in Game 2 was a heartbreaker for Oilers fans, but for hockey fans in general, it was a classic battle between two of hockey’s Titans. Game 3 shifts to Sunrise, Florida, for the next two games starting June 9th, and if the first two are any indication, we’re in for some exciting hockey.