“I don’t think our best has shown up all series long,” the Oilers’ captain, Connor McDavid, didn’t hesitate to admit that the Florida Panthers stomped all over Edmonton yesterday. The Cats posted a massive 6-1 win on Monday to bag a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals. Naturally, things aren’t looking bright for the Oilers camp, even more so after the shambolic display they put up at the Amerant Bank Arena in Game 3. But some experts believe that the captain should be more proactive in leading the charge to turn things around.

For the second time in two years, Florida and Edmonton have met in the ultimate hockey series. After the heartbreak of 2024, many Oilers fans were hoping for a better series this time around. However, yesterday’s loss was truly disappointing.

A post by First Take on X from June 10 shared P.K. Subban and Stephen A Smith’s discussion about what’s going wrong with the Oilers in this year’s Stanley Cup Finals. After Subban noted his frustration at how Edmonton gave up the lead in the series, Smith took things a step further and took a dig directly at the team captain, Connor McDavid.

“Last night, for me, Stephen A, it wasn’t just about Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl not showing up on the scoresheet and not dominating the game,” Subban said, “The whole Edmonton Oilers team didn’t show up. They didn’t show up on time, and Florida dominated them in every single facet of the game.” But for Smith, it was the captain’s poor performance that irked him the most.

“Edmonton got blown out, we understand that. They got romped. We get that part. Connor McDavid. 13 shots. No goals. Zero! Nothing! In the Stanley Cup! And oh, by the way, this is a three-time League MVP,” Smith could hardly keep a lid on his frustrations. What might have ruffled Smith’s feathers even more was perhaps the fact that of those 13 unsuccessful attempts, only two came in the last game.

Stephen got too vested in his feelings and lashed out at McDavid further. “No championship! Maybe the greatest that never won!” he said. Yeah, he went there. But Subban and Smith were onto something, without a debate. The Oilers gave away 11 power plays in Game 3, and the Panthers scored in 3 of them, while keeping Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl out of the game across all three periods, with the latter not managing even one shot on goal. Compared to Sergei Bobrovsky’s 32 saves (.970), Stuart Skinner made only 18 (.783).

And yet, despite all these disappointing stats, the team leader, being the beacon of optimism he is, hopes for a strong comeback. And he’s got his loved one’s support!

Connor McDavid believes a turn of the tide is incoming

It was truly a Game 3, the Oilers won’t mind erasing from their memories. Just 56 seconds into the match, Brad Marchand sent the puck flying into an open net to open the scoring of the night. With that goal, the Canadian winger became the oldest player to score in 3 consecutive games of the Stanley Cup Finals. Not only that, but Marchand is now the only NHL player in history to follow up a shorthanded goal with an OT goal. And it all happened while the Oilers’ net was being guarded by Stuart Skinner, who got pulled in Game 3 after allowing 5 goals on 23 shots. Naturally, the Canadian netminder was disappointed with himself.

“To be honest, some were chaotic, some were really nice shots… But as a goalie, you’ve got to come up with a save. It doesn’t matter. It’s a game of inches. I don’t like letting open shots in, so I take accountability on those,” Skinner said. But his teammates had not intention of letting him take all the blame.

“Sure, we can be better, harder in front of him there,” in the post-game interview, McDavid noted that the team also failed to give Skinner the help the goalie needed. “The penalty kill — they’ve got some good players, good shooters. You give them that much time, they’re going to make their shot,” Connor added further, about giving the Panthers any space would result in the Oilers conceding a goal.

But the captain is still optimistic about the rest of the series. “Obviously it wasn’t our best — not our best at all,” he added. “I don’t think our best has shown up all series long. But it’s coming. You know, shift the focus to finding a way to get a win in Game 4.” Connor McDavid’s wife, Lauren Kyle, also took to Instagram to share a sneaky jibe at the Cats (or maybe it was a targeted attack against Marchand, who is popularly known as “The Rat”) claiming that when the series returns to Edmonton, Alberta for Game 5, the Panthers will be facing one hell of a fight.

So, do you think all that high hope will pay off? Share your predictions for Game 4 with us below!