Connor McDavid Makes Clear Statement About Oilers After Stanley Cup Loss
Connor McDavid Makes Clear Statement About Oilers After Stanley Cup Loss originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Florida Panthers closed out the Edmonton Oilers with a dominant 5–1 victory in Game 6 on Tuesday night, securing their second consecutive Stanley Cup on home ice against the same team they already beat last season.
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Florida jumped out early, scored twice in the first period, and never looked back. The Oilers were limited to a meager and meaningless goal with less than five minutes left in regulation and the score 5-0 in favor of the Panthers.
While the result brought another painful ending for Edmonton, captain Connor McDavid pushed back on any notion that his team quit in the deciding game.
"We lost to a really good team," McDavid said. "Nobody quit, nobody threw the towel in, but they're a heck of a team. They're back-to-back Stanley Cup champions for a reason."
Sam Reinhart scored four goals for the Panthers, including two empty-netters, while Matthew Tkachuk added one in the opening frame.
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The Oilers didn't get on the board until Vasily Podkolzin scored with just over four minutes left. McDavid was left off the board in Tuesday's game and held to just one goal and six assists in the series.
"Their forecheck was great. They tilted the rink. They were able to stay on top of us all over the place," McDavid said. "Never really able to generate any momentum up the ice."
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) controls the puck defended by Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) during the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
McDavid, even after another crushing finals loss, maintained belief in the group and was already looking forward to making another deep run next season.
"Still a lot of confidence and belief," McDavid said. "I don't think people thought we were going to make it this far. We obviously believed. Came up just short again."
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With their second consecutive loss, the Oilers became the first team since the 1977-78 Boston Bruins to lose back-to-back finals.
Related: Panthers Not the Favorites in Initial 2026 Stanley Cup Odds
Related: NHL Makes Historic Connor McDavid Announcement Amid Stanley Cup Final
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
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