3 lessons learned by Oilers ahead of Stanley Cup Final rematch against Panthers

Last year, the Edmonton Oilers came within arm's reach of the Stanley Cup, falling to the Florida Panthers in a back-and-forth seven-game series that went down to the wire.

This year, after ousting the Dallas Stars in the conference finals for the second year in a row, the Oilers are looking to avenge last year's loss and capture their sixth Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, let's take a look at three things Edmonton has learned since last year's Stanley Cup Finals.

3 lessons learned by Oilers ahead of their Stanley Cup rematch with the Florida Panthers

NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Edmonton Oilers at Dallas Stars - Source: Imagn

#1: Managing emotions

On Monday, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch spoke about the upcoming Stanley Cup series, explaining that the biggest lesson his team has learned since last year's Stanley Cup series was how to manage the emotions.

"Just how much ups and downs there can be, And you know, the adjustments that you have to make throughout the playoffs, and because you’re playing a very competitive seven-game series, that there’s a lot of changes that need to be made," the coach said.

After nearly clawing their way back from a 3-0 deficit in last year's Stanley Cup Finals, Edmonton will start afresh.

NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Edmonton Oilers at Dallas Stars - Source: Imagn

#2: Playing from a position of strength

During last year's playoff run, Edmonton went down 3-2 to the Canucks in the second round, 2-1 to the Stars in the second round, and 3-0 to the Panthers in the Stanley Cup.

While the team proved capable of heart-pounding comebacks, Leon Draisaitl explained after Sunday's practice at Rogers Place that the team has learned the importance of playing from a position of strength and not allowing themselves to be put in tough positions.

Since going down 2-0 to the LA Kings in the first round, Edmonton has done a great job of fending off big series deficits, beating the Golden Knights and the Stars 4-1, allowing them to enter the Stanley Cup without being too drained.

NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings - Source: Imagn

#3: Share the Load

It's no secret that Edmonton's best weapon is the dynamic McDavid-Draisaitl duo. This year, however, the team has managed to share the load on the offensive end of the ice, with the team outscoring opponents 14-8 throughout the playoffs with McDavid and Draisaitl off the ice.

Compare that to last season, where the team was outscored 12-21 with the two on the bench, and it's clear that this team heading into their Stanley Cup rematch with the Panthers has grown considerably from last year.

So far, every forward besides Jeff Skinner has logged a goal in the postseason, creating a number of threats for Florida to defensively scheme for.