EDMONTON – Mistakes continue to plague the Florida Panthers.
Three notable goals in Game 6 led directly to goals in a 5-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Friday, a loss that forces a Game 7 at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC) and gives the Oilers a chance to make history as the first team since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to achieve a reverse sweep in the Stanley Cup Final.
“We just have to be alert every moment on the ice, like every second,” Florida forward Eetu Luostarinen said. “When you’re on the ice, you have to be alert, mentally and physically, you can’t let go for even a second because they’re going to make you pay.”
That’s what happened in Game 6. The Panthers faltered and paid for it.
The Oilers got the first goal for the third straight game when forward Warren Foegele scored at the 7:27 mark of the first period, setting up a saucer pass from Leon Draisaitl on a 2-on-1 breakaway.
On the play, Florida failed to get the puck deep from the neutral zone and defenseman Brett Kulak began the transition the other way, catching Florida defenders Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling flat-footed. Ekblad lost Foegele on the backcheck.
“When they get the first goal, obviously, you chase it a little bit,” Florida forward Carter Verhaeghe said.
