Oilers Ripped for Lack of Response to Matthew Tkachuk and Panthers

Thursday night’s rematch of the last two Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers didn’t have as much juice as many expected coming into the season, but that doesn’t excuse the performance from the home team.

A lot was on the line for Edmonton—while Florida was banged up and had little to play for—though you wouldn’t have known it based on how things played out on the ice. The Panthers controlled the game from start to finish, shutting out the Oilers 4-0 at Rogers Place.

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It was Edmonton’s first shot at facing Matthew Tkachuk in 2025–26, and while many had billed it as an opportunity for the Oilers to push back against Tkachuk and company, that never happened—much to the chagrin of Jason Gregor.

Gregor said:

“Here is my issue and I talked about it yesterday at some point: for the organization, you have to stand up to a team like that. At what point is what Matthew Tkachuk has done not worthy of someone saying, ‘I’m getting my pound of flesh’? Don’t tell me, ‘well, we were worried about the two points.’ Did you get two points? Yes or no. Pretty sure we all know the answer. And guess what? Tkachuk—no one even breathed on him. So the opposing coach… let’s look at this: how the game starts. Florida beat you twice in the Cup Final. Tkachuk didn’t play when they first played this year in Florida; he wasn’t in the lineup. He has spouted off to your team; he’s insulted one of your best players. Heck, remember Brad Marchand wearing the ‘Oilers suck’ little pin. How much can you take as an organization? Well, you just take it? Oh well, you know, we’re going to get the two points in the standings. Seriously, that’s your only pushback?”

The 28-year-old Tkachuk finished with one point (one assist) in the win, pushing his season totals up to 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in just 21 games played.

It was a disappointing game in more ways than one for Edmonton, but neither the players nor HC Kris Knoblauch showed any interest in making the loss bigger than it was—just one game. On the bright side, all of the other teams they’re battling with in the Pacific Division—Seattle, San Jose, Vegas, and Los Angeles—also lost on Thursday.

Connor McDavid and the Oilers will now have to quickly shift their focus to another matchup with a Florida team on Saturday night, this time against the high-flying Tampa Bay Lightning.

Next: Insider Foresees a Wild Offseason in Toronto—and Across the NHL