It was not just that the Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers in Thursday’s rematch of the past two Stanley Cup Finals.
It was how they did it.
And that made coach Paul Maurice smile.
The Panthers played much like they have for the past few seasons on Thursday, throwing a suffocating defensive net over the high-octane Oilers in a 4-0 win.
“It has been a grind, it’s been so hard,” Maurice said afterward. “I think we played so well tonight because we have so much respect for Edmonton. Even though Leon Draisaitl is out of the lineup, Connor McDavid is so dynamic that he forces your attention to [playing] the right style of game, one we play very well. … They bring out the best in us.’’
Sergei Bobrovsky played a big role in Florida keeping the Oilers off the board, sure, but Edmonton’s 21 shots on goal were its fewest in some time.
Edmonton, after all, had averaged 34 shots in its previous four games and are averaging close to 30 per night which have the Oilers ranked sixth in the league.
The Oilers also have the top-rated power play in the NHL. Thursday, they were 0-for-2 with just one shot on goal.
McDavid was not dynamic Thursday. Just quiet.
The Oilers star was basically nonexistent with Florida limiting him to one third-period shot on goal and only two shot attempts.
The Panthers made the Oilers look so bad that their fans not only fled the building in the third, but those who stuck around let them have it.
“It’s a great rivalry,” said Bobrovsky, who has four shutouts this season. “They have a great offense and we have a great defense. It was a great fight, great game. It was fun to watch, and even more fun to play in.”
Maurice pointed to Florida finally having its expected defensive rotation on the ice Thursday.
Dmitry Kulikov got hurt in Florida’s second game against the Flyers, and Seth Jones most recently returned.
Those two, certainly, were missed.
And they looked great on Thursday.
“That’s the best defensive corps that we have put on the ice since 2 minutes into Game 2 of the season,” Maurice said. “You see what those guys can do.’’
The Panthers will now return to running out the string tonight in the finale of this weeklong road trip.
The Calgary Flames do not offer any real motivational fuel for the Panthers what with Jonathan Huberdeau out for the season with injury and MacKenzie Weegar traded to Utah.
Sure, Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk may be amped up for tonight’s game at the Saddledome, but this is just another game for the Panthers.
To paraphrase Forrest Gump, you just don’t know what you’re gonna get from the Panthers in these final weeks of the season.
Games like Thursday in Edmonton? Pretty good bet the Panthers were going to come out flying.
Tonight?
We’ll see.
ON DECK: GAME No. 69
FLORIDA PANTHERS at CALGARY FLAMES
