Oilers and Panthers Search for Answers in a Season Full of Questions
It’s been a strange start to the season for both the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, especially considering how familiar these two teams are with meeting each other when everything is on the line. Now, heading into another Stanley Cup Final rematch, both sides are trying to figure out who they really are — and which one of them is more likely to rediscover their groove and make a deep run again.
Florida’s situation has been rough from the start. Aleksander Barkov being ruled out for the entire season after preseason knee surgery already felt like a disaster, and Matthew Tkachuk missing significant time after his own offseason surgery only made it worse. He isn’t expected back until January, and that absence has been felt everywhere on the ice. Add in injuries to Dmitry Kulikov, Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich, and now Eetu Luostarinen, and you’ve got a defending champion dealing with a full-on identity crisis. Their 11-8-1 record reflects that — respectable, but not dominant.
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Edmonton, meanwhile, hasn’t exactly had smooth sailing either. The Oilers came into the year without Zach Hyman for the first 19 games thanks to a lingering wrist injury. Their defensive issues have been glaring, with a 3.57 goals-against average and a team save percentage that sits near the very bottom of the league. At 9-9-5, the Oilers have been stuck in that uncomfortable middle ground — not bad enough to panic, but not good enough to feel secure.
Debate-wise, NHL.com writers Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke laid out the case for which team is better positioned to rebound. Rosen leaned toward Florida, pointing out that defensively the Panthers remain far more structured and consistent. Their goals-against numbers, shots allowed, and even their 5-on-5 stability all show a team that, despite injuries, hasn’t completely lost its foundation. Edmonton, on the other hand, has been leaking goals, struggling with depth scoring, and grappling with shaky goaltending.
Roarke countered with something more rooted in belief than stats: Edmonton’s ability to “flip the switch.” He argued that with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, history repeatedly shows that the Oilers can underwhelm early and still surge late. It’s what they did last year, and the year before that. And with Hyman back and key players settling in, he believes this team has another gear they haven’t hit yet. Florida, in his view, simply won’t have the same firepower without Barkov and Tkachuk for such an extended stretch.
So who’s right? Honestly, both teams have flaws that are impossible to ignore, but both have strengths that make it hard to count them out. Florida still plays more consistent, structured hockey. Edmonton still has the star power to overwhelm anyone on any given night.
As they meet again in a building full of memories — some triumphant, some painful — it’s clear that neither team is where they expected to be. But in a long NHL season, identity can shift quickly. The question now is which team finds its true form first.
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