SHOCKING NEWS: Oilers turn back to Stuart Skinner, make other changes for Game 6 vs. Panthers.see more details.
Here’s a detailed, in‑depth look at what happened with the Edmonton Oilers leading up to—and including—Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, where dramatic decisions, key lineup changes, and ultimately heartbreaking defeat defined their season:
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🥅 Oilers Go Back to Stuart Skinner in Goal for Game 6
With their season hanging by a thread, Stuart Skinner was handed the starting netminder role back from Calvin Pickard for Game 6 against the Florida Panthers—an elimination game for Edmonton. Skinner had been pulled in Game 4 after conceding three first-period goals and was benched entirely for Game 5, which Pickard started and which ended in a 5–2 loss at home .
Speaking after morning skate on June 17, Skinner expressed confidence:
> “Feeling good… I have the confidence of my teammates and the coaching staff,” he said .
Coach Kris Knoblauch emphasized Skinner’s playoff pedigree: he has routinely performed under pressure, delivering six elimination‑game starts last season that were “really solid if not spectacular,” and building a trust factor within the team .
Leon Draisaitl backed the decision: “He’s had incredible games this year… in Game 4, he was amazing in the first period. It was us that let him down” .
Statistically in the postseason, Skinner entered Game 6 with a 2.99 goals‑against average and a .891 save percentage across 14 starts; Pickard was 7–1 but suffered his first loss in Game 5, with a 2.85 GAA and a .886 save percentage in ten games .
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🏒 Additional Lineup Tweaks
In addition to the goalie switch, the Oilers made two notable lineup changes for Game 6:
Kasperi Kapanen returned to the forward unit, replacing Viktor Arvidsson. Kapanen had been subbed out for Game 5 despite contributing three assists in the first four games of the series .
On defense, John Klingberg came back into the lineup in place of Troy Stecher, marking his first action since Game 3. Klingberg had been benched for Games 4 and 5 despite steady playoff performance .
Coach Knoblauch praised both players—Klingberg for his playoff consistency, and Kapanen for his versatility in forechecking, playmaking, and penalty kill contribution .
Forward Ryan Nugent‑Hopkins, who had missed recent practices with an undisclosed injury, was considered a game‑time decision—but was cleared to play, continuing his streak of appearances despite ongoing management of his condition .
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⚔️ Game 6: Panthers Clinch Second Straight Cup
Even with those changes, the Panthers proved dominant in Game 6, defeating Edmonton 5–1 to secure their second consecutive Stanley Cup title on home ice. Sam Reinhart scored four goals in a single Final game, anchoring Florida’s clutch postseason performance, and became just the sixth player in NHL history to do so in a Cup Final game .
Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stood tall, stopping 28 of 29 shots, while captain Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and other Panthers depth players played pivotal roles. Sam Bennett, the postseason’s leading scorer with 15 goals, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP .
In Canada, the loss extended the country’s Stanley Cup drought to 32 years, and marked the Oilers’ second straight Finals defeat to Florida—becoming the first team to lose back‑to‑back Finals since Boston in the late 1970s .
Skinner, although starting Game 6, struggled to contain Reinhart’s finishers. The first Florida goal came early after a turnover; the second by Tkachuk came with traffic in front; the third was a deflection off Reinhart’s skate into an open net; and the fourth and fifth were empty‑net goals as Edmonton pulled its goalie late in the third .
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🧠 Post‑Game Fallout & Looking Ahead
Following the defeat, Edmonton’s General Manager Stan Bowman suggested that the team’s roster would not remain static heading into next season. Notably, both Skinner and Pickard were identified as potential personnel changes as part of a broader restructuring plan to improve postseason outcomes .
Connor McDavid, despite leading the team, went scoreless in Game 6 and expressed deep disappointment. He emphasized that players “gave everything”, but weren’t able to overcome Florida’s forecheck and systemic dominance .
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📌 Summary & Analysis
Area Key Takeaway
Goaltending Edmonton reverted to Skinner after a lackluster Game 5; despite fluctuations, the coaching staff trusted his elimination‑game experience.
Lineup Kapanen and Klingberg reinserted for speed, versatility, and experience; Nugent‑Hopkins returned despite injury management.
Game 6 outcome Panthers clinched the series emphatically, powered by Reinhart’s historic 4‑goal night and Bobrovsky’s strong goaltending.
Team fallout GM signals major offseason changes; goaltending position under review; Oilers missed opportunity to break Canada’s championship drought.
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🧨 A “Shocking” End: Looking Back
The decision to turn back to Stuart Skinner carried high stakes: one last shot at forcing Game 7. Skipper Kris Knoblauch leaned on Skinner’s past playoff poise and elimination‑game composure. Yet, even those choices—along with the return of Kapanen and Klingberg—fell short against a relentless Panthers squad.
While Skinner had shown flashes of brilliance earlier in the playoffs, the bounce of Game 6 did not go Edmonton’s way. Florida’s balanced, opportunistic play—and Reinhart’s historic performance—provided the knockout blow.
Now, with a changing roster on the horizon and introspection needed across coaching and management, the Oilers must regroup fast. The offseason questions are already looming: Can they solidify their crease? Should the lineup be overhauled? And can Canada’s longest Cup drought finally end?