Oilers Quick Takes: Game 4 Goalie Decision Looms, Walman Fined

The Edmonton Oilers find themselves in a must-win situation after a disappointing 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night. The two teams will get back at it on Thursday, with 48 hours in between games to let the high emotions simmer. Game 3 was tense, including 140 penalty minutes, fines, and questions about the officiating.

Here’s a roundup of the latest news and rumors surrounding the team.

---

Goalie Decision Still Up in the Air

Head coach Kris Knoblauch isn’t ready to name his starting goaltender for Game 4 just yet. While Stuart Skinner allowed six goals in the Game 3 blowout, Knoblauch wasn’t ready to place the full blame on the netminder. That means Calvin Pickard isn’t a shoo-in for the start.

“A lot of last night was a team-wide breakdown,” the coach noted. It’s also important to note that Skinner’s numbers in Game 4s have been out of this world when it comes to his playoff track record.

Walman Fined $10K for Game 3 Incidents

Defenseman Jake Walman has been fined twice by the NHL for incidents during Game 3. He was assessed a $5,000 fine—the maximum allowable under the CBA—for roughing Matthew Tkachuk. He received an additional $5,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct during a separate incident involving the Panthers’ bench. He was spraying water from a water bottle into their bench, which got a good chuckle out of Oilers’ fans, but the league didn’t necessarily find it funny.

The dual fines suggest the NHL might be watching out for this kind of behaviour in Game 4. Meanwhile, Walman didn’t want to leave Game 3 without at least trying to get under the skin of the Panthers.

McDavid Still Confident Despite Game 3 Collapse

Connor McDavid addressed the media after the lopsided loss, acknowledging that the team has yet to play its best hockey in the series. “Not our best at all,” McDavid admitted. “I don’t think our best has shown up all series long, but it’s coming.”

The Oilers captain emphasized the importance of shifting focus and rallying for a critical Game 4 win that could send the series back to Edmonton tied 2-2.

“We just gotta have a moment of realization that we’re three wins away. We’re one win away from having a best-of-three with two home games,” said defenseman Mattias Ekholm on the Oilers’ approach to Thursday’s matchup. Kris Knoblauch added, “Everyone knows what’s at stake and what they need to do. We need to stay focused on the goal… We’ve always been able to pick ourselves up and carry on.”

Officiating Becomes a Storyline in the Series

Evander Kane didn’t hold back when discussing the officiating and the team’s overall play. After receiving a 10-minute misconduct for a hit on Carter Verhaeghe, Kane wasn’t thrilled with what he perceived to be a double standard: “They seem to get away with it more than we do. It’s tough to find the line.”

Knoblauch also took a subtle shot at the officiating, suggesting it would have been nice if the refs caught the too-many-men infraction in overtime of Game 2, the way the officials caught the Oilers in Game 3.

Edmonton doesn’t want this to become a series dictated by the refs, but they need to stay out of penalty trouble if they want to find their game.

With Game 4 looming as a potential turning point in the series, and the Oilers need their best effort with no distractions.

Next: Jake Walman’s Game 3 Antics: A Boost or Distraction for the Oilers?