Connor McDavid Blames Oilers' Stubborn Gameplan for Stanley Cup Final Loss

McDavid vented his frustrations with the Oilers' approach after the loss to the Panthers.

McDavid criticized the Oilers' gameplan after the Stanley Cup Final loss. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers for a second straight year with the club's 5-1 defeat in Tuesday night's Game 6. And while Oilers captain Connor McDavid first credited the Panthers as a strong team and then credited his own team with for its resolve during the hard-fought series, he also couldn't help but take issue with one aspect of the loss.

McDavid felt the Oilers were going nowhere doing the same thing over and over again throughout the six-game Stanley Cup Final defeat.

"I mean obviously their forecheck was great," McDavid said after the game. "They tilted the rink. They were able to stay on top of us all over the place. Never really able to generate any momentum up the ice. We kept f------ trying the same thing over and over. Just banging our heads against the wall. Credit to them. They played well."

The Panthers held a lead over the Oilers for 255:49, a new NHL record for a championship series and, as McDavid alluded to, held an ice tilt advantage over Edmonton in each of the first five games of the series, according to NHL.com. On the other end, Florida's defense tightened up on power plays and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky elevated his game when it mattered most.

"Lost to a really good team," McDavid said. "Nobody quit. Nobody threw the towel in. They're a heck of a team. They're the Stanley Cup champions back-to-back for a reason."

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