Game 1 Notebook: Panthers’ Anton Lundell tasked with containing Connor McDavid

EDMONTON — Even because it changed into transparent to Zach Hyman that his wrist used to be now not proper, the hockey participant inside of stored telling him something:

“Even then, you still think that whatever it is you’ll be able to play through it,” he mentioned, dressed in a forged on his proper wrist at the morning of a Stanley Cup Final wherein he’ll now not participate. “Quickly you already know, after I noticed the docs, that it used to be one thing that wanted surgical procedure. Something that I wasn’t going so that you can play via.

“I think I was still a little delusional, that I could play through it.”

Hyman dislocated his wrist within the Western Conference Final towards Dallas on a blank hit by way of Mason Marchment, a blink-of-an-eye second that takes a precious participant out of Edmonton’s lineup for this Final.

One day Hyman used to be at the most sensible line of a Stanley Cup contender, main the NHL playoffs in hits whilst chipping in 5 objectives and 11 issues via 3 rounds. Then Marchment rumbles previous, catches Hyman’s proper wrist in simply the incorrect approach, and inside of 24 hours he’s in surgical procedure.

They repaired his wrist, however Hyman’s 2025 playoffs had been declared deceased.

The crew FaceTimed Hyman from the dressing room after wrapping up the sequence in Game 5 at Dallas. It introduced Hyman to tears.

“I was on the couch with my wife and mother in law, just watching (the game),” he mentioned. “It caught me off guard. I was crying. It was really emotional.”

Hyman will shuttle with the crew throughout the Cup Final, and he’s hoping to be at coaching camp come September.

Of direction, it used to be him that spoke to the crew within the aftermath of final spring’s Game 7 loss to Florida, when he advised his teammates, “I know in my heart that we’ll be back here.”

Turns out, he used to be proper and incorrect on the similar time. The Oilers are again, however Hyman isn’t.

“Life was a funny way of working,” he mentioned.

Mini Barkov faces most problem

When Anton Lundell used to be a tender boy in Espoo, Finland, his oldsters allowed him to set an alarm on June nights so he may get up in the course of the night time and watch the Stanley Cup Final. (Young-dell used to be a large Chicago Blackhawks fan. They had been reeling off Cups, and he favored the crimson sweaters.)

Now he imagines long run NHLer dreamers from his hometown environment their alarms to observe the Finn-heavy Panthers opt for a repeat.

“I’m assuming a lot of kids in Finland will do the same,” Lundell smiles at the morning of Game 1.

With Edmonton retaining final alternate, the ones children will see Lundell tasked together with his largest problem but: shutting down an eye-of-the-tiger Connor McDavid.

“Every team in this league has tried to contain that guy. You’re not going to do it right?” says Lundell’s wingman, Brad Marchand. “You try to work as hard as you can and try to limit how many opportunities he gets. So, hopefully you keep it to 10 or 15 instead of 20 or 30.”

Centring the most productive 3rd line in hockey, Lundell has already executed a host on Brayden Point, Auston Matthews, and Sebastian Aho this post-season. His plus-12 score is the most productive of any ahead within the Final, and he’ll let you know he’s a a lot more assured participant than he used to be final yr.

“He plays a complete game every night. This team is very fortunate to have him in the third hole there. I mean, his talent level is incredible. The way he can make plays in little spaces, and the way he reads ice to find space to put himself in a scoring opportunity, he’s just a great little player,” Marchand says. “It’s not often that you have a guy like that who plays 200-foot game at his age — and he’s only getting better. So, he’s going to have a very bright career.”

Glimmers of that shone first via for trainer Paul Maurice in 2023, Round 2, towards Toronto. Then-Leafs trainer Sheldon Keefe would pull Matthews off a matchup with Selke champ Aleksander Barkov, and Lundell used to be in a position to care for the then-reigning Hart champ.

Starting in 2023-24, Maurice stopped sheltering Lundell and hasn’t regarded again.

“It’s allowed us not to be a hard-match team,” Maurice explains. “They call him the Mini Barkov. There’s a reason for that. They view the game the same way — a defensive mindset first.”

The addition of Marchand, even though, has advanced Lundell’s offensive upside, and he has already hung 5 objectives, a brand new playoff very best.

“These guys are really good. He’s not even young anymore. We don’t view him as young,” Maurice says. “He’s a good centre-ice man.”

Who will likely be charged with containing the most productive centre-ice guy.

Connor Brown took the skate after being absent on Tuesday, and even though head trainer Kris Knoblauch referred to as him “a game time decision,” Brown advised reviews after the morning skate that he used to be in for Game 1.

That spot will most probably come at Jeff Skinner’s expense. Other than that, we think a well-recognized Oilers lineup in Game 1 to what they iced in Game 5 at Dallas:

Nugent-Hopkins — McDavid — Perry
Kane — Draisaitl — Kapanen
Frederic — Henrique — Brown
Podkolzin — Janmark — Arvidsson

Ekholm — Bouchard
Nurse — Kulak
Walman — Klingberg

Meanwhile, Florida’s ahead intensity will get an early take a look at as A.J. Greer (decrease frame, day by day) is not going to swimsuit up for Game 1. Jesper Boqvist will get the faucet and in his stead and can sign up for the fourth line.

Boqvist publish 3 issues within the two video games he performed towards Carolina within the Conference Final.

Rodrigues — Barkov — Reinhart
Verhaeghe — Bennett — Tkachuk
Luostarinen — Lundell — Marchand
Boqvist — Nosek — Gadjovich

Forsling — Ekblad
Mikkola — Jones
Schmidt — Kulikov

That Game 7 loss from final spring? It lingers.

“You never really wipe something like that,” the Oilers centreman mentioned. “Until you get over that hump and finish it, it’s gonna stick with me forever.”

Outside the dressing rooms, we’re making a large deal a couple of Stanley Cup rematch between Edmonton and Florida, and the revenge issue therein. But within the room, is there any training forex for Knoblauch in reminding his fees of that loss?

“I agree with Leon’s assessment on the frustration, coming so close and losing. You’re always going to remember it, absolutely,” Knoblauch mentioned. “But I don’t think it makes any difference who beat us last year, or who we’re playing this year.”

If anything else, the familiarity is helping a trainer when making ready his avid gamers.

“It’s not that they changed their identity. They still played same systems, same style,” Knoblauch mentioned. “But when we get to this point, no matter who we’re playing, we’re 100 per cent wanting to win it.”

Death to home-ice benefit

For the primary time in Stanley Cup historical past, the 2 ultimate groups status began each one among their earlier 3 sequence at the highway.

So, is it actually such a bonus for the Oilers to get their first style of Game 1 at domestic?

The Panthers are 8-2 clear of Amerant Bank Arena this postseason and can raise a five-game win streak at the highway into Rogers Place Wednesday night time.

Evan Rodrigues, a 10-year vet, figures he’s by no means performed on a crew so at ease clear of the comforts of domestic.

“We stick to our game. That’s the biggest thing,” he says. “Whether we’re at home or on the road, we don’t deviate.”

That self assurance allowed Florida to relaxation our bodies and lay off the gasoline down the regular-season stretch as it knew a low seeding wouldn’t impede their efficiency.

“We’re a super confident team on the road this year. I think we almost prefer it,” Sam Bennett says. “No distractions. You’re with your team; you’re with your guys. Your whole focus is playing hockey.”

Maurice doesn’t be concerned over chasing defensive matchups, and that just-roll-the-lines rhythm at the bench results in robust effects after lengthy flights.

“You don’t need to feel really good to play for us,” Maurice says. “You just gotta play as hard as you can. You can do that anywhere.”