The Oilers fell to the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year, with Florida delivering near-perfect performances in Games 5 and 6 and showing superior depth, structure, and goaltending throughout the series. Injuries mounted on both sides, but Florida’s culture and cohesion carried them through, while Edmonton struggled without Zach Hyman and leaned too heavily on McDavid and Draisaitl, who couldn’t singlehandedly turn the tide. Sam Bennett earned the Conn Smythe with a historic playoff performance, and GM Bill Zito now faces the challenge of re-signing Bennett, Marchand, and Ekblad. Meanwhile, the Oilers enter a pivotal offseason with key extension talks looming for McDavid and Bouchard, major cap questions, and ongoing uncertainty in goal.

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The Oilers dropped Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final after a flat start and near-flawless performance from the Panthers, whose depth continues to shine, as each of their top 9 forwards now have 15 or more playoff points. Florida's relentless structure and experience, led by Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, overwhelmed Edmonton, who sorely missed injured Zach Hyman. Evander Kane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins struggled, and Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl still haven’t found their top gear in this series. The Oilers’ defensive pairings look fatigued, and goaltending remains a question heading into an elimination Game 6. The pressure is squarely on Edmonton's stars to respond or face another long offseason without a championship.

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The Oilers clawed back from a 3-0 first-period deficit to win Game 4 in overtime, marking the first comeback of its kind in Stanley Cup Final history. A strong pushback, a timely goalie switch to Calvin Pickard and a spark from veteran Corey Perry’s locker room speech helped shift momentum. Blue-liner Darnell Nurse bounced back with a standout performance, Leon Draisaitl’s greasy OT winner capped the effort and despite continued discipline issues from Evander Kane (and others), Edmonton may hold a slight edge in the now best-of-three series. Meanwhile, the Rangers shake up their core, trading Chris Kreider to Anaheim in a bid to retool.

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