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Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch Comments After Humiliating Elimination by the Panthers

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 1:42 PM ET

The Edmonton Oilers lost for a second straight season in the Stanley Cup Finals, and after the heartbreak, Kris Knoblauch has addressed the disappointing result.

After such dominance throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers came into the Stanley Cup Finals full of confidence, especially after winning Game One in dramatic fashion in overtime.

Unfortunately for Edmonton, they'd win just one of their next five games, falling in six games to the dominent Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, officially ending their chase for the iconic Stanley Cup.

After the game, there was no sugar coating what happened for anyone in Edmonton, with Head Coach Kris Knoblauch opening up on the emotions that go into losing the Stanley Cup Finals in two straight Finals.

'There's no silver lining to this, it's very difficult to handle right now... It hurts right now & I don't think it's gonna let up for a while.'

Simply put, Knoblauch was heartbroken, and revealed he'd feel this way for quite some time to come, and after feeling like this was their best shot at the Cup in the era of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, it may sting even more.

While the Oilers have been in the Finals twice in a row now, these opportunities aren't as easy as Edmonton made it look this post-season, and it must be heartbreaking for them to know they may not get another opportunity with this group.

Whether it will be Knoblauch leading the way forward, we don't yet know, but as of right now, he's simply trying to put a brave face on after what was a dreadful performance from his team in a do-or-die game, but after all, it was a heartbreaking night for the Oilers, and this is a performance they'll regret for a long, long time to come.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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