Why a Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Rematch Won’t Happen

The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the past two Stanley Cup Finals.

We can rest assure it will not happen a third consecutive year.

Sure, it is possible the Oilers will reach the final round in the chase for Lord Stanley’s mug, (although their goaltending should crush those thoughts, an element we circle back on soon) but it appears the only way the Panthers will make it will be by purchasing tickets.

Thanks to a crushing rash of injuries all season, including the loss of captain Aleksander Barkov for the whole campaign, the Panthers arrive in Edmonton 13 points out of a playoff spot with only 15 games remaining. Technically, the two-time champs could drum up a miracle finish, but there have been no signs they are even capable of getting within hailing distance.

We’re taking about a team that has won only five of its last 16 games and opened a four-game road trip with one-sided losses against the Seattle Kraken and cellar-dwelling Vancouver Canucks.

About the only potential saving grace for the toothless cats is the first-round draft choice they dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks is top-10 protected. Meaning, if the Panthers land a pick in the top 10 of the draft, it will stay in their hands.

Right now, Florida is eighth from the bottom, but it would not take much to end up outside the bottom 10 and suffer an extra indignity of missing the playoffs and losing to Chicago a high pick to help their lacking prospect pool.

Understandably, the Oilers have little to no sympathy for the club that quashed their championship hopes in consecutive seasons. Nor do they have time.

The Oilers are definitely in the mix to win the Pacific Division — easily the league’s worst of the four divisions — but that is hardly a fait accompli.

Edmonton is one point back of the Anaheim Ducks and one point ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights in the divisional chase that is something of a turtle derby.

The Oilers have played one more game than both of those clubs, but that is only one area to focus upon among myriad issues.

For starters, Edmonton will be without half of the dynamic duo for the remainder of the regular season, with Leon Draisaitl on the shelf due a lower-body injury. It is the second consecutive year Draisaitl, who is second on the club in goals (35) and points (97), has missed time as the regular season has come to a close.

He is fourth in the league in points.

His absence was not a factor in the first game Edmonton played without Draisaitl, a 5-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, but we are talking about a key component to any of the Oilers’ success for more than a decade.

Just as unsettling for the Oilers and their faithful is their situation between the pipes. Acquiring Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins, and dealing away Stuart Skinner in the swap, was supposed to solidify what has been the club’s weakest link.

Instead of taking the reins, Jarry has been relegated to back-up status as the season heads high gear, supplanted by Connor Ingram.

It is easy to understand why; Jarry has only one victory in his last six appearances and surrendered four or more goals in five of those games. As much as Ingram has been the better of the two, it is hard to imagine he will be the one to backstop the Oilers to the promised land. Ingram is on a solid run, but it is coming with a sub-.900 save percentage.

Do not be betting the farm on the Oilers reaching the Cup final a third consecutive year.