Three keys to victory for the Oilers in Game 4

No doubt that watching the Edmonton Oilers lose to the Florida Panthers in Game 3 was annoying, but it’s also important to remember that the boys are only down one game in this series. Hell, we had a wider gap to erase in the first round. And I know the Panthers are better than the Kings could ever dream of being, but it’s essential to keep the vibes high and continue putting out positive juju into the atmosphere. That’s why I put together three executable items that I believe will guide the Oilers to victory on Thursday.

KEEP YOUR COOL

We heard a lot about how the Edmonton Oilers must have learned a few things after being down 3-0 in last year’s Stanley Cup Final, but the same could be said about the Florida Panthers nearly blowing that lead. You don’t think that group learned a few things after almost watching their dream go up in smoke? Of course they did. I never understood the idea that it was only Edmonton that would take lessons away from last year’s SCF, but that was undoubtedly the narrative for many of us before the final began.

One lesson our boys need to learn tout suite is that they can’t let themselves get drawn into the Panthers’ garbage tactics. Florida is the best team in the league at getting under your skin and using that to their advantage, and I believe the Oilers would be better served to keep their heads on straight and only play between the whistles. If the Panthers want to get greasy — spoiler: they do — then I think the best approach would be to keep our cool as best we can and burn them on the power play. Now, the PP is having its issues right now, but I still trust that group to figure that part of their game out more than I think they’re suited for fighting in the mud.

GET THE SPECIAL TEAMS GOING

I’m not trying to discredit the Panthers’ PK or takeaways from how good they’ve been against the Oilers, but it’s also worth noting that the boys have scored a goal with the man advantage in all three games. To me, that’s a window the Oilers have to punch their way through. And since the Panthers are doing Panther things and landing themselves in the box with regularity, punishing them when we have the chance is going to be paramount in Games 4-7.

I’m not pretending to know all the answers or what the combination is for making this work, but if there’s any team I would bank on to figure it out, it’s the team that has been historically strong with the man advantage. It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure out how impactful it would be if the boys can raise the floor from ~16% in the series. If Kris Knoblauch and co. can crack this nut, then it would really turn one of the Panthers’ biggest asset — their annoyingness — into advantage Edmonton. Dare to dream? I believe.

GET IN BOBROVSKY’S KITCHEN

When we think back to the first two series against L.A. and Vegas, one of the constants in the Oilers’ game plan was to make life miserable for the opposing goaltender. Whether it was buzzing the tower at times, parking in front of the crease, or talking trash after the whistles, it felt like they were always on top of Darcy Kuemper and Adin Hill. They haven’t done that as much with Sergei Bobrovsky. I don’t know why the tactics have changed in the Stanley Cup Final, but I’d love to see the Oilers bring a little more heat to Bob’s kitchen.

We know how good Bobrovsky is and how he’s going to stop everything he can see, and that makes it a crucial to-do on the list to get in front of him and make life as uncomfortable as possible. From where I was sitting in section 311, it looked like Bob could see almost every puck that came his way, and it’s no coincidence that the Corey Perry goal was a product of having someone on the doorstep. Heading into Game 4, I want to see the Oilers do everything humanly possible to make the goalie’s life harder. I don’t want him seeing a single puck or getting a single whistle without someone screaming in his face. Get the broccoli in, fart him up, tell him his dog is ugly, do whatever it takes. He can be broken, and I believe the Oilers are the team to do it.