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The Edmonton Oilers had another great season as they reached the 2024-25 Stanley Cup final for the second year in a row. However, the season ended on a bitter note as they once again lost to Florida Panthers, who won their second Stanley Cup finals on the trot.
What went wrong for Edmonton Oilers during 2024-24 season?
While the Edmonton Oilers fought back against strong teams like the Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights in the postseason, they were unable to get past the Florida Panthers.
Here is a look at the things that went wrong for the Edmonton Oilers during the 2024-25 season.
Three reasons that derailed Edmonton Oilers season.
1. Goaltending injuries in the postseason
Stuart Skinner had two bad games in the opening round series against the LA Kings. Coach Kris Knoblauch then turned to Calvin Pickard, who ran with the crease. He went on a 6-0 run before sustaining injury during Game 2 against the Golden Knights. Skinner was back again and he managed to get the team past the Vegas and Dallas.
But, in the Stanley Cup final, Skinner faltered. The Oilers then turned to Pickard, who had a terrific outing in Game 4. But, then he also faltered in Game 5, leaving the Oilers with little choice but to go back to Skinner for Game 6.
Fans were left wondering what would have happened whether Pickard had not picked up an injury against the Vegas. Perhaps the team could have carried on that momentum and got the better of Panthers in the finals.
2. Hyman injury
Zach Hyman suffered a gruesome injury during Game 4 of the Western Conference final against the Dallas Stars. The wrist injury that he suffered kept him out of the playoffs and it also required an offseason surgery.
The Edmonton Oilers were without one of their best goal scorers. Because of this, they had to go through multiple lineup changes and also turn to Jeff Skinner.
In the final against Florida, Hyman's absence was evident. The Oilers struggled in the offense as they were heavily relying on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Other scorers such as Evander Kane and Viktor Arvidsson could step up when needed. It is worth wondering what would have happened if Zach Hyman wouldn't have sustained his injury.
3. Not adjusting to Panthers
The biggest worry for the Edmonton Oilers was that they were unable to adjust to Florida Panthers' airtight checking system. Throughout the series, the Panthers had two or even three players to cover McDavid and Draisaitl.
The duo somehow managed to get away at times but the rest of the team were not able to get past the Panthers' defense. Instead of finding a way to counter the situation, Knoblauch kept stacking his top line. That made the life easy for the Panthers' coach Paul Maurice as he played his best defenders against the Oilers' best scorers.
The Oilers' inability to adjust to the Panthers were their biggest issue as they were not able to overcome one of the most talented teams in recent history.
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