Left winger Tomas Nosek’s critical blunder in the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night proved costly, but he shouldn’t shoulder all blame for the Florida Panthers‘ Game 1 loss.
In overtime against the Edmonton Oilers, Nosek was penalized for delay of game after he cleared the puck over the glass. The Oilers then capitalized on a power play.
Oilers center Connor McDavid passed to fellow center Leon Draisaitl, who drilled a snap shot that sealed Edmonton’s 4-3 win.
Nosek’s mistake certainly hurt the Panthers, but to say it’s the only reason they lost Game 1 would be short-sighted.
Early in the second period, the Oilers trailed 3-1, but, surprisingly, the Panthers squandered the early lead. According to Tom Gulitti of the NHL’s website, the Panthers were 31-0 when leading after the first or second period over the past three postseasons.
“We’ve been really good all year at not sitting back with the lead, and for whatever reason, we sat back tonight,” Panthers center Sam Bennett said in a postgame news conference.
Panthers left winger Matthew Tkachuk, who has battled injuries throughout the playoffs, also remained cold. He scored no goals and had one assist on Wednesday. The 27-year-old star has failed to score in five of his past seven playoff games.
After the loss, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said he’ll make sure the team doesn’t point the finger at Nosek.
“You just remind him after the game of being down 0-2 to [the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round] when that line came in,” Maurice said. “And how we’re not here without Tomas. It’s a tough break. So we’ll just make sure he doesn’t eat alone tonight. He’s got lots of people sitting at this table and reminding him how good he’s been to us.”
Reminding Nosek he’s a key piece for the Panthers may help him rebound in Game 2 on Friday at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.
