Sergei Bobrovsky made 40 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Florida Panthers downed the Edmonton Oilers 6-0 Thursday night at Rogers Place.
The Oilers are winless in their last seven, going 0-5-2.
“You’ve got to show up every day with your hardhat on, that’s how you get out of this,” Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse said following the loss.
The Oilers carried the play in the first, outshooting the Panthers 17-7. Jesse Puljujarvi had a great chance in the final 10 seconds, but Bobrovsky slid across to make a great glove save.
“I love the way we started. I don’t like the way we finished,” Oilers head coach Dave Tippett said after the game.
“We don’t get any breaks there and we feel like we’re pushing to try to make those breaks (happen), and when you don’t get any, it gets frustrating.”
The Panthers took the lead five-and-a-half minutes into the second on the power play when Aleksander Barkov beat Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen short side. It was the 23rd time in the last 27 games the Oilers have allowed the first goal.
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“They get the lead and then we’re chasing it. No matter who you’re playing or what game it is, it’s always harder coming from behind,” Oilers defenceman Duncan Keith said.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to have to be us in there that pull it together and find a way to stick in those games and keep it close or find a way to tie that up.”
Less than three minutes later, Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe was left alone in front and roofed a shot to make it 2-0.
Barkov beat Koskinen with a mid-range wrist shot to make it 3-0 seven minutes into the third.
Florida’s Anthony Duclair and Sam Bennett added late power-play goals. Then Panthers forward Owen Tippett scored with 1:44 left.
“When we’re outworking the (power play), that’s when we kill off penalties, and we haven’t been doing enough,” Nurse said after the game. “We’ve got to be better.
“We’ve got to give our five-on-five and power play a chance. You can’t ask your power play to score two goals a night to be even with the other team.”
The Panthers went 3 for 5 on the power play. The Oilers were 0 for 3.
The Oilers (18-16-2) will host Calgary on Saturday.
–With files from Brenden Escott, 630 CHED
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