Latest news with #JakeWalman
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oilers Player Makes Bold Stanley Cup Final Guarantee Before Game 6
Oilers Player Makes Bold Stanley Cup Final Guarantee Before Game 6 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Edmonton Oilers trail the Florida Panthers 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Final heading into Game 6, scheduled for Tuesday in Sunrise, Florida. Advertisement To return to Canada with a chance to hoist the Cup, the Oilers must win on the road to force a decisive Game 7 back home. Despite falling 5-2 in Game 5 and being outplayed for long stretches, Oilers blueliner Jake Walman has no doubt the series will return to Edmonton, as he told The Athletic following Saturday's defeat while making a quite bold prediction — if not a straight guarantee. 'This was always going to be a long series,' Walman said. 'We're going to come back here after a game there, and that's it. 'There's no doubt.' Walman and fellow defenseman Mattias Ekholm had a rough outing on Saturday, as Florida outshot the Oilers' first defensive pairing. Advertisement Moreover, Florida's Brad Marchand beat Walman clean for both the opening goal and then the game-winner, the latter following an extraordinary move. Walman's confidence, however, hasn't wavered. 'It's frustrating when you come into the (dressing) room and you're down,' Walman said. 'We're struggling to get to our game right away. It takes us a little bit. I don't know what the reasoning is.' Edmonton Oilers left wing Evander Kane (91) reacts with left wing Viktor Arvidsson (33) after scoring a goal against the Florida Nelson-Imagn Images That slow-start trend should be a real concern for the Oilers, as Edmonton has trailed by at least two goals after the first period in each of the past three games. Game 6 is at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday night in Sunrise, and Walman has already made his bold prediction for what will happen on the ice come puck-drop time. Advertisement Related: NHL Makes Historic Connor McDavid Announcement Amid Stanley Cup Final Related: Don Cherry Makes Pick for 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy Winner This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oilers Player Airs Frustration Over Brad Marchand's Game 5 Goals
Oilers Player Airs Frustration Over Brad Marchand's Game 5 Goals originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final was a night to forget for Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman and one that could define Brad Marchand's legacy with the Florida Panthers. Advertisement Marchand scored twice, with both goals coming at Walman's expense, in a 5-2 win in Edmonton to put the Panthers one victory away from back-to-back titles. The second came on a brilliant solo effort capped with a five-hole finish, leaving Walman visibly frustrated, as he admitted in comments made to The Athletic after the game. 'That's a good player,' Walman said of Marchand. '(Expletive) feeling as a defenseman. I want to have that one back. I've just got to play everybody hard. It doesn't matter who they are.' Marchand's addition at the trade deadline already looked like a coup for Florida. After Saturday's game, it may go down as one of the most impactful midseason moves in years. Advertisement The veteran has six goals in this series, the most in a Cup Final since Edmonton's Esa Tikkanen's six in 1988. Marchand's 13 career Cup Final goals are the most among active NHL players. Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman checks Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk during a Stanley Cup Final Nelson-Imagn Images The Panthers acquired Marchand from Boston on March 7. In this year's playoffs, he has tallied 20 points in 22 games, including 10 goals. Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, in contrast, found the net for the first time in the finals in Game 5, although that helped him make history once again. McDavid's goal was his 150th career playoff point, a mark he reached in just 95 games, thus becoming the third-fastest player in NHL history to hit that figure. Advertisement Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final is set for 8 p.m. ET Tuesday in Sunrise, Florida. Related: NHL Makes Historic Connor McDavid Announcement Amid Stanley Cup Final Related: Don Cherry Makes Pick for 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy Winner This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
NHL Announces Punishment for Oilers Defenseman Jake Walman
NHL Announces Punishment for Oilers Defenseman Jake Walman originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Edmonton Oilers faced the Florida Panthers on Monday night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, looking to regain the series lead after dropping Game 2, 5-4, in double overtime. Advertisement Florida got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period, thanks to goals from Brad Marchand and Carter Verhaeghe. Then, to open the second period, Edmonton forward Corey Perry found the back of the net on the power play to cut the lead to 2-1. Panthers forward Sam Reinhart answered quickly, and from there on it was all Cats. They won 6-1, taking a 2-1 advantage in the series. But the main storyline from the game was how Edmonton lost its cool in the latter stages of the night. In the third period alone, the Oilers committed 16 penalties, which totaled 75 minutes. Two of those penalties came from defenseman Jake Walman. The 29-year-old was called twice for roughing after punching Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk. Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman (96) defends against Florida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe (23).© Jim Rassol-Imagn Images On Tuesday, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced, "Walman has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA," for it. Advertisement Meanwhile, that's not all Walman was fined for. The first-year Oiler was fined another $5,000, "the maximum allowable under the CBA, for unsportsmanlike conduct for an incident involving Florida's bench." Walman was seen spraying water from inside the Edmonton bench into the Florida bench. Walman is in his sixth season in the NHL after starting his career with the St. Louis Blues. He was traded three times, with his first move to the Detroit Red Wings in 2022. Then, in 2024 he was traded to the San Jose Sharks. And this season at the trade deadline he was set to the Oilers. In these playoffs, Walman has recorded one goal, seven assists and eight points. Advertisement Walman and the Oilers will look to tie the series up at two apiece on Thursday. Puck drop in Sunrise is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Related: Oilers Announce Signing One Day Before Stanley Cup Final Related: Oilers React to NHL's Major Connor McDavid Announcement This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
It's time for Connor McDavid to dominate the moment in Game 6 and keep Oilers alive
EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers have never needed the best of Connor McDavid more than they do right now. Their season is on the line after a sluggish 5-2 loss in Game 5 on home ice. They're faced with the daunting task of having to beat the Florida Panthers not just once but twice if they are going to get their revenge in the Stanley Cup Final rematch. Advertisement If the Oilers are going to make good on Jake Walman's proclamation that they're going to drag the Panthers back to Alberta — and then go one better by winning a second game — McDavid must do more than he's done so far in this series. Truthfully, there's absolutely nothing wrong with how he's performing. It's not like a search party is required to locate him: McDavid has scored a goal and recorded seven points against the Panthers and been held off the scoresheet in just one contest — the 6-1 waxing in Game 3. Most players would be thrilled with how McDavid has fared through five games. A player or two or three on the Toronto Maple Leafs could only wish to play like that at this time of year. 'There's been a lot of good scoring chances for him, and nice to see that he got a very nice goal (Saturday) night,' Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'I've got no issues with his game.' There's a difference between a coach having no issues and being thrilled, though. McDavid has still looked dangerous, electrifying even — just ask Aaron Ekblad — but he hasn't dominated and maybe not even truly excelled. He has just two points in his last three games. His lone goal wasn't exactly scored in garbage time on Saturday, but it wasn't far off, and ultimately turned out that way. Some of McDavid's offensive troubles are bad luck. It took until his 19th shot of the series for him to net that first goal. That was after he missed a couple of excellent chances earlier in Saturday's game, hitting a post in each of the first two periods. Some of what's ailed McDavid can be laid at the feet of a power play that's been mostly unproductive in the series. The Oilers went 0-for-3 on the man advantage in Game 5, and the first attempt was particularly poor. The Oilers are 4-for-23 in the series, a 17.4 percent success rate that's underwhelming for them. Advertisement Some of McDavid's issues are because of the competition he's faced. Aleksander Barkov has covered him like a wet blanket at times, showcasing the two-way prowess that just earned him his third Selke Trophy. Defenseman Gustav Forsling has been stifling in the shutdown role, too. It's no wonder Oilers veteran blueliner Mattias Ekholm raves about him. McDavid's dip in production coincided with the Panthers having the last change when the series shifted to Florida. Panthers coach Paul Maurice then worked diligently to get the matchup of his two best all-around players against No. 97 as much as possible in Game 5. 'Our team relies heavily on him and Leon (Draisaitl) and how they're playing, but it's tight checking for everyone and it's not going to be (like) a midseason game against a non-playoff team when sometimes he's had 10 or 12 scoring chances,' Knoblauch said. 'Those numbers are reduced playing against a good team like Florida, but Connor's been one of our best players every single night — and that's what we expect.' Knoblauch is right that McDavid's been one of the Oilers' best. He's still tied with Draisaitl for the playoff scoring race with 33 points, after all. (Draisaitl has eight points in the Final.) Only Evan Bouchard has played more than McDavid in this series. He's skated 28:32 per game through five contests — an unheard-of workload for a forward, albeit with parts of four overtime periods nudging that average higher. He's been relied on more than any Panther. There are a couple of reasons for that, and they go beyond the obvious of McDavid being a generational talent with perhaps the purest skill the sport has ever seen. The Panthers have led for more than 200 minutes in this series, whereas the Oilers haven't done so for even 34 minutes. It's not hard to understand Knoblauch's rationale to want to play McDavid more when the Oilers are trailing in normal circumstances. It's simply imperative that he does with the Stanley Cup on the line. Advertisement And then there's the fact that the Oilers' depth has thinned out without the services of the injured Zach Hyman, a key top-six weapon. Evander Kane, in particular, was bordering on unplayable because of his abundance of penalties after seeming like a potential difference-maker at the start of the series. The Oilers have just three goals from forwards not on their top power-play unit in the Final: one each from Kane, Viktor Arvidsson and Vasily Podkolzin. Throw in some emerging problems on the back end and major question marks in net — Knoblauch wouldn't name his Game 6 starter on Sunday — and there's a lot to be concerned about for the Oilers with their season hanging in the balance. All that puts an incredible onus on McDavid. The Oilers are being outscored 6-3 with him on the ice at five-on-five in the series, per Natural Stat Trick. It would be unfair to direct much blame on him for the six in the goals-against column, what with neither Stuart Skinner nor Calvin Pickard owning a save percentage close to .900 in the postseason. But the three in the goals-for ledger must start ticking upward with the expediency of a bouncer's counter on a busy weekend night. McDavid hasn't been as prolific in these playoffs as last year, when he recorded eight goals and 42 points, including 34 assists, which set a single postseason record. But despite not controlling this series, McDavid is close to his scoring pace from the 2024 Final. He led the Oilers with three goals and 11 points in the seven-game series to secure a Conn Smythe Trophy. Of course, we all know how last year ended despite the individual award. While battling through an injury, McDavid was held without a point in each of the last two games, including that painful 2-1 loss in Game 7. No one burns to win like McDavid, so this is as important a moment as it gets for him and the Oilers. This is his chance to make amends for the way last season ended and put his stamp on this series, all when his team needs him the most. There's no time like now for him to activate McDavid beast mode and lead the charge toward glory. (Photo of Connor McDavid and Gustav Forsling: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oilers' Jake Walman makes bold guarantee after Stanley Cup Final Game 5 disaster
The post Oilers' Jake Walman makes bold guarantee after Stanley Cup Final Game 5 disaster appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Edmonton Oilers had recovered home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final with an improbable Game 4 comeback, beating the Florida Panthers in overtime after being down 3-0 after one period. In Game 5, however, Edmonton was unable to keep that momentum going. Advertisement Florida suffocated the Western Conference champs right from luck drop on Saturday night in Edmonton, racing out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and running away with a 5-2 victory to take a 3-2 series lead and move within one win of winning the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive year. Despite the mess that was Game 5 and the fact that the Oilers are heading back to Florida for Game 6 on the road, defenseman Jake Walman is still confident that Edmonton hasn't played its last game in front of its home crowd, via Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic. 'This was always going to be a long series,' Walman said. 'We're going to come back here after a game there, and that's it. There's no doubt.' After seeming to find some answers near the end of Game 4, especially on offense, the Oilers had nothing for the defending champs in Game 5 at home. The Panthers limited their shots and opportunities throughout, and that allowed them to control most of the game. Advertisement Still, the Oilers have proven that they can win on the road in this series even when they look down and out. The series seemed close to over after the first period of Game 4 with the Panthers poised to take a 3-1 series lead before Edmonton came all the way back and silenced the crowd with an incredible Houdini act. If the Oilers want to get their revenge on the Panthers from last year's Cup Final loss and lift the trophy on their side this year, they will have to find some solutions to beat this elite Panthers squad two times in a row. The first test will come on the road in Game 6 on Tuesday night before a possible Game 7 back in Edmonton on Friday. Related: Edmonton Oilers most to blame for Stanley Cup Final Game 5 dud vs. Panthers Related: NHL fan goes viral for Oilers-Panthers jersey change during Stanley Cup Final Game 5
