Panthers continue to own Oilers despite down season

The Florida Panthers treated Thursday’s Stanley Cup Final rematch in Edmonton like it meant something.

The Oilers did not.

The result? A decisive 4-0 road victory for the back-to-back champions.

There won’t be any rings handed out for this game and there isn’t going to be a parade when the Panthers arrive back in South Florida, but one team continues to hog the bragging rights in this rivalry. Maybe the result of a mid-March regular-season game doesn’t mean anything, or maybe it’s the microcosm of why there are two Stanley Cup banners hanging at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.

Despite playing out the final stretch of a season derailed by injuries and fatigue, the Panthers delivered one of their most complete efforts of the year. The Oilers, meanwhile, never found their footing.

Cole Reinhardt and A.J. Greer scored in the first period, Anton Lundell extended the lead in the second, and Carter Verhaeghe added insurance in the third with his 20th goal of the season. Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside all 21 shots he faced, earning his 25th win and fourth shutout of the year.

The victory marked the 454th of Bobrovsky’s career, tying him with former Oiler Curtis Joseph for seventh all-time.

With the loss, Edmonton saw yet another potential winning streak evaporate at two games. After starting their homestand with solid performances against Nashville and San Jose, the Oilers completely let go of their game plan when facing the Panthers.

The team looked disconnected for long stretches, unable to generate sustained pressure or respond after falling behind early. Against a team with little left to play for in the standings, Edmonton never matched Florida’s urgency.

It was a surprisingly limp effort from the home side, especially considering what’s still up for grabs. With a win, Edmonton could have jumped Anaheim and into sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division. Instead, they remain one point back of the Ducks with two more games played, while the Golden Knights are one point behind the Oilers with a game in hand.

The one silver lining here? The Oilers don’t have to think about Florida again until the 2026-27 season.

What they said…

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the Oilers struggling to string wins together this season…

“If we could put our finger on it, we’d correct it fast, but it’s a hard league to win consistently, and we haven’t done a good enough job this year doing that. It’s frustrating at times, for sure, especially in a moment like this, but there’s no time to be upset and dwell on it. We gotta push forward here.”

Head coach Kris Knoblauch on what went wrong for Edmonton in the loss to Florida…

“The guys worked really hard. I thought the effort was there and we just couldn’t find a way to score a goal. I don’t see it that they didn’t show up to play tonight. We came out strong, the first 10 minutes I thought we had the majority of the play.

“We had one shift where we had a couple of opportunities to score, the puck gets popped out and they get a breakaway goal.”

Darnell Nurse on how the Oilers need to find another level with the playoffs approaching…

“Everyone comes to the rink with the right mindset. We want to win. Every day you show up at the rink, you want to win, compete, and beat whoever’s on the other side, whether it’s Florida or Calgary.

“Some nights we come out and we’re flat, and that’s on us. We gotta find another level to get to, but it’s not for lack of effort, especially with this group. I know how much each and every one of these guys wants to win.”

Florida head coach Paul Maurice on the Panthers bringing their best against Edmonton…

“We played well tonight because we have so much respect for Edmonton. Even though Leon Draisaitl’s out of the lineup, Connor McDavid’s so dynamic he just forces your attention to the right style of game that we can play pretty well. We spent some time in our end and there was a lot of collapse into the net, and there were a lot of broken plays that didn’t go their way, it went our way.

“That’s kind of like the story of the playoff series They would bring out the best in us.”

Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on tying Curtis Joseph for seventh all-time in wins…

“I’m humble and appreciate it. I thank God for everything I have. But I’m focused on next game. I don’t really think about it that much. It’s a great achievement. You look at the goalies on the list, and I couldn’t dream about to be in the same category with them. I still don’t believe it.”

Up next…

The Oilers will wrap up their four-game homestand on Saturday when the Lightning visit town. Next week, Edmonton will go on the road to play Utah and Vegas on Tuesday and Thursday before returning to Rogers Place to host Anaheim on Saturday afternoon.