Oilers HC Kris Knoblauch makes his feelings known on Calvin Pickard’s Game 5 struggle after loss to Panthers

Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch spoke openly after his team’s 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. With the loss, the Oilers now trail 3-2 in the series and face elimination as they head to Florida for Game 6.

Knoblauch acknowledged the team's continued issues with generating offense.

"You know, when the pressure is not on them that they have to make every single save to keep this close or keep us ahead, it'd be nice to get some goal support," Knoblauch said. "And obviously, last night was a case where we were having difficulty generating offense."

Despite the loss, Kris Knoblauch didn’t blame goaltender Calvin Pickard, who stopped 14 of 18 shots. He emphasized that the Oilers limited the quality of Florida’s chances and didn’t do enough offensively.

"But you know, overall, I thought, you know, we limited the opportunities," Knoblauch said. "The quality of opportunities were really good, so there's no fault at Calvin at all on any of those goals. But yeah, it'd been nice to have that, have that lead and play with that just knowing that they have to open things up on their trailing."

The Panthers controlled much of Game 5. Brad Marchand opened the scoring in the first period with a strong individual effort. Sam Bennett added another late in the period, and Marchand scored again early in the third.

Although Connor McDavid finally found the back of the net and Corey Perry added a late goal, the Oilers could not keep pace. Florida responded quickly each time Edmonton scored and sealed the game with an empty-netter.

Pickard, who was undefeated in his first nine playoff appearances, suffered his first loss. With starter Stuart Skinner struggling recently, the Oilers' coach Kris Knoblauch now faces a decision for Game 6. It’s unclear whether Pickard will get the nod again or if Skinner will return to the net.

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch is hopeful about winning Game 6

The Oilers will now head to Florida for a must-win Game 6. If they win, they will force a Game 7 back in Edmonton. If not, the Panthers will claim their second straight Stanley Cup.

But heading into Game 6, coach Kris Knoblauch is confident about bouncing back.

"Win our last two games. We're confident we can do that," Knoblauch said, via NHL.com. "We've been through difficult situations before and it's just another one we'll overcome."

The pressure is on, and the Oilers know they need more from their offense to keep their season alive.