The Oilers lacked series with the Panthers’ X-factor last season – Hockey Writer – Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers vs. the Florida Panthers are a Stanley Cup final game, and many fans want it. Both teams have improved, and both sides think it’s the two best rosters in the NHL and are ready to fight again. However, this season, the Oilers have no secret weapon last season when they lost the close-range series in Game 7 – Evander Kane.

Yes, the Oilers added Jake Walman, John Klingberg, Viktor Arvidsson, Kasperi Kapanen and Jeff Skinner, among others, who weren’t on the roster last season. If Edmonton seeks redemption, everything may be essential. But few people will change games like Kane, who has proven that in healthy situations he can silence one of Black Panther’s greatest weapons.

Healthy Evander Kane means trouble for Florida

Kane played the first two games in last year’s series. That is to say, he is unhealthy, everyone knows it. By the third game it was obvious that he could not play, and his participation in games 1 and 2 was nothing more than curtains, which would likely hurt the team and extend the time he took to recover in the offseason.

This year, he returned to the playoffs and he was a godsend.

Just like Kane didn’t miss any rhythm. So far, his body, intimidating, scoring, winning five goals and 11 points in the playoffs. When everyone is healthy, he adds depth, and when they are unhealthy, he is the top six choice. Not only that, he is also the deterrent force of a Florida team that loves to play hockey style, and so far, most of his opponents have been intimidated in the playoffs.

Can Kane shut down Matthew Tekacook?

When Kane and Matthew Tkachuk actually played for the last time, it was in the 2021-22 season, with Tkachuk being with Calgary’s Flames. The series competed in five games, with the Oilers winning the final four games in Game 1, a 9-6 loss to Calgary. Tkachuk scored 3 goals in the first game. Kane then sets his goal to tkachuk and makes him useless, which is essentially what he does.

Tkachuk had only one assist in the last four games. He still plays between 17 and 20 minutes per game, but it is actually invisible. Kane relentlessly followed Tkachuk, and Tkachuk seemed to retreat from the challenge. You can bet Kane has that experience in his mind when he prepares for the Oilers in his first game on Wednesday.

Times have changed, Tkachuk has grown up and remains one of the better players in the NHL and has learned from experience and previous playoff successes. Maybe he didn’t retreat this time. Maybe he has a more effective way to deal with this type of physical stress. Meanwhile, maybe he is still the kind of thing moving forward, Tkachuk lacks the corresponding response when pushing against players who like to push up.

The Oilman is going to find out, you can bet Kane will press each button to test Tkachuk’s arsenal. It is unlikely that Tkachuk will disappear completely. That said, Kane won’t make the winger’s life easy.

In this series, oil workers have an advantage in breaking the situation. If Kane can remove from the equation in a destruction game in Florida, it’s a big ice win in a possible seven-game series.