The Florida Panthers knew how to define a comeback perfectly. “We’ve got a lot of battle scars on us from the last few years. We’ve been through way worse than that yesterday. We can be better. We can adjust a few things, come out tomorrow and try to get a win here.” Matthew Tkachuk didn’t even hesitate after the first 4-3 loss against the Edmonton Oilers in the final series but rather spoke bluntly while claiming a prediction for how the rest of the series would unfold.

Three up and two wins so far in Game 2 and Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, the Panthers have conquered the game so far with Brad Marchand scoring just 56 seconds into the game and adding the spark that allowed the rest of the team to follow up with 5 more goals! While both Marchand and Sam Bennett emerged as the defending champions, they collectively scored eight of Florida’s 13 goals during this series. But how do they do this? Someone in the league just happened to have revealed the Panthers’ secret strategy!

Jason Gregor of Sports1440 on X highlighted what the former Edmonton Oilers player Marty McSorley had to say about the Panthers’ winning strategy. “In Game 2, Florida started dictating the play by starting a scrum after every whistle. The Oilers needed to just skate away, and they need to avoid that as much as possible moving forward. Florida wants to slow the game down,” McSorley quoted how the Florida Panthers know they can’t match the speed of the Oilers! Hence, he further throws advice to his former team by stating, “They can’t skate with Edmonton, and the Oilers have to avoid the scrums and getting away from what they do best.” Is this what the Panthers are doing to keep their dominance alive?

Not in Game 1 or Game 2, but during the latest one, things got heated between the two teams. During the third period, with just 9:33 minutes left, Oilers player Trent Frederic cross-checked Bennett and even broke his stick during the clash. Soon after that, the rest of the squad joined up with AJ Greer and Mattias Ekholm joined together alongside defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who let Viktor Arvidsson join too. What was supposed to have been a full battle of goals and assists soon turned out to be a full-blown brawl on the ice.

Despite the brutal loss and the fight, head coach Krish Knoblauch said, “I don’t think we would have acted or played like that had it been a one-goal or two-goal game. Boys being boys, I guess trying to make investments for the next game.” While the Panthers look forward to another thrilling game at the Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday, the buzz will be real with them in hopes of finding a way to lift that cup with Edmonton on the other side, struggling for a major comeback. To say that the Oilers need to gear up ahead of Game 4 would be an understatement, because Florida has a unique way of leading with dominance and the latter is simply lagging behind.

Kris Knoblauch makes crucial changes ahead Game 4 against the Florida Panthers

Game 3 was indeed a meltdown for the Oilers, who managed to score a single goal coming from the stick of veteran player Corey Perry. While the goalie allowed five quick goals to the opponents during the initial period, Calvin Pickard had to step in to replace Stuart Skinner. The game had been a complete disaster for the Oilers, who also ended up getting 85 penalty minutes. And the results? Florida grasped the lead and showed well.

Moving ahead in the series and now with very limited chances left for the team to bounce back, the head coach makes crucial changes alongside allowing his team to indulge in a practice session on an off day! “We haven’t confirmed that; we haven’t discussed that with our players yet, but there are some things we’ve been thinking about and there might be a lineup change,” Knoblauch confirmed on Wednesday.

While Troy Stecher remains as an option for Game 4, defenseman John Klingberg will replace him. With four points (one goal, three assists), Klingberg is plus-2 in 18 playoff games and has played in six of their 19 postseason games. Whether or not Stecher plays, the Oilers indeed have to look up for chances to prove their stance against the Florida Panthers, or they lose on a big one yet another year, this time.