There should be a rule for the Oilers in Game 4. If you don’t have a clear skating or passing lane, the puck goes deep. Start putting the Panthers’ defencemen up against the glass. The odd man rushes will come. Let them come to you. For the most part, get it deep and get on the forecheck.

On the exit side, this is the infamous third goal against. This play is on John Klingberg. He can be mad at the official getting in his way or the trip that may have happened. However, this play should have been done before he put himself in the coffin corner. When the puck is pushed down low, Klingberg knows Barkov is the forecheck, but he also knows he has McDavid coming low, and he knows he has Jake Walman on the weak side. He goes behind the net, and Barkov goes over top. Klingberg could have stopped behind the net or reversed the play. Either works here. Simple plays, yes. Also, very effective. Instead, he keeps going, and we can see when Reinhart takes the shot that Florida, as they always do, overloaded the strong side.

Imagine what happens if Klingberg just stops or reverses the puck. The weak side is wide open, and Jake Walman is in a good position to exit.

Simple plays are not sexy, but they often work really well against hyper-aggressive teams. This needs to be the mindset for the Oilers in Game 4.

Composure

I’m going to show just one clip, and it might not be the one you’re expecting.

Composure isn’t only about avoiding penalties from careless plays. Losing composure during regular play can also cause serious issues.

When players become emotionally rattled, execution suffers. Assignments get missed. Mistakes pile up.
Here’s a clear example featuring Corey Perry. Overall, Perry played well in this game. But this specific clip highlights a broader team issue we’ve seen over the past two games.

In the clip, there’s a puck battle along the wall. McDavid has already covered for the pinching defender. Perry has the chance to engage, but he must do it from the defensive side.

This means Perry needs to position himself above the puck. That way, if the play moves up ice, he’s ready to defend. Instead, Perry chooses to go for a hit from the offensive side. As a result, the puck slips free, and the Panthers quickly transition into an attack.

A small lapse in judgment, but one that perfectly illustrates how crucial composure and positioning are to effective team play.

It seems innocuous, but if Perry just comes over the top to attack the puck, instead of trying for the hit, this play never happens.

It’s this type of composure that worries me the most. The Oilers seem too focused on exacting their pound of flesh physically. There are times for this, of course. However, the Oilers are picking the exact wrong time to do so.

The Florida Panthers won’t change their game in the face of this response. Indeed, the Florida Panthers want this type of game. This only encourages them to dig in and double down.

Defensive Pairings and Deployment

Heading into Game 3, everyone (including me) wondered how the Oilers would respond, especially around Darnell Nurse. Before this series, I highlighted in the Tactical Preview that the Nurse-Kulak pairing could spell trouble. While it was worth exploring initially, Game 2 made one thing glaringly obvious: this duo simply doesn’t work.

To be clear, the issue isn’t Darnell Nurse himself, it’s Brett Kulak struggling on his off-side. Kulak looks uncomfortable handling passes, breaking out of the zone, and defending zone entries. This places Nurse in tough positions constantly. Nurse can be a solid defender, especially within the zone, but the more he has to cover for a partner’s weaknesses, the more his own game suffers.

Recognizing this, the Oilers tried pairing Nurse with John Klingberg, but the results weren’t much better. Klingberg’s performance alone likely warrants him coming out, yet Nurse hasn’t exactly elevated his partners’ play either.

Coach Knoblauch identified the Panthers’ third goal as a turning point, and he’s right. But let’s rewind a bit further. Immediately after Edmonton scored and gained significant momentum, the Oilers shifted their defensive pairing away from Ekholm-Bouchard. They didn’t opt for Nurse-Klingberg or even Walman-Kulak with Walman on his off side.

Instead, inexplicably, they reverted to Nurse-Kulak.

I’ve had to painfully re-watch this sequence multiple times, so let me save you the trouble. Right from the start, Kulak struggles on the wall entry, putting the Oilers in immediate jeopardy. He weakly pushes the puck up the boards, leaving Connor Brown exposed and easily pressured by the Panthers defender. From there, everything unravelled into disaster.

The Oilers must make decisive adjustments—now. There’s no more room for hesitant moves or half-measures.

This moment was the turning point, the moment everything unravelled for the Oilers.

Immediately after their crucial goal early in the second frame that made the score 2-1, the Klingberg-Walman pairing stepped onto the ice and promptly surrendered momentum.

Klingberg was then skipped on the rotation, leading to a Nurse-Bouchard shift, quickly followed by another Nurse-Kulak pairing because Nurse couldn’t get off the ice. For nearly five full minutes after scoring, the Oilers were pinned deep in their own zone, largely due to reverting to the Nurse-Kulak duo. This tactical misstep drained every ounce of energy and momentum from the team, and coach Kris Knoblauch was absolutely right: This shift marked the beginning of the end for Edmonton in Game 3.

The Oilers simply cannot afford mistakes like this. While personnel adjustments are unquestionably necessary, putting Nurse and Kulak back on the ice together in such a critical moment was a decision without merit. It triggered a downward spiral that sealed the game’s fate and extinguished Edmonton’s playoff hopes in Game 3.

Darnell Nurse

I know I have picked on Brett Kulak and John Klingberg in this post. However, Darnell Nurse doesn’t escape critique. Here is the first goal against at live speed.

I’ve heard some confusion from TV commentary regarding Klingberg and Nurse on this play. I’m not sure why. Let’s break it down simply from the back camera perspective.

Initially, Nurse correctly takes his man to the net. Klingberg also properly covers his player in front.
The issue arises with Draisaitl, who misses his assignment, allowing the Panthers to gain control of the puck.

Now, here’s where Nurse faces a critical decision. As the play breaks down, Draisaitl recovers and picks up a new man. Klingberg maintains his position net-front. At this point, Nurse’s clear responsibility is to pressure the puck carrier. He needs to step out aggressively and force the Panthers into a rushed decision.

Instead, Nurse hesitates. Yes, the Panthers get a fortunate bounce, but notice who ultimately scores. It’s Nurse’s original mark, waiting unchallenged on the far side of the net.

Could Klingberg have rotated? Perhaps. But realistically, Nurse’s hesitation to attack the puck carrier is the real issue here.

Notes heading into Game 4…

I would be shocked if Troy Stecher wasn’t back in the lineup on Thursday. Darnell Nurse’s play needs stability. Brett Kulak and John Klingberg cannot really provide it. Stecher has proven he can help, and honestly, I think his simple approach to the game will actually help against Florida’s forecheck.

Nurse is not coming out of the lineup. He plays too many minutes in too many key situations. Yes, it would be great if he could be the stabilizing force on his pairing, but he’s not. Live with it. Plan for it. Troy Stecher is up.

I think it’s time to see Jeff Skinner in the lineup as well. The wall play of the Edmonton wingers hasn’t been very good. Also, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is clearly hurt. I’d like another player in the lineup with some offensive upside. Skinner provides it, and his defensive awareness in the Dallas series looked really good.

Burn the tape. Keep it simple. That game is a throwaway. Don’t focus on the ice or the officiating. The Oilers won twice in Florida in the last Stanley Cup. They only need to do it once this year to win the Cup.

That’s it for the Game 3 review. See you here on Friday morning. Have a great week.