"Shocker, Bettman rigging it for his golden child team": NHL fans shocked at stark contrast in Oilers and Panthers results with ref Dan O'Rourke

The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will square off in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Edmonton will be looking to get back into the series. However, it seems the odds have gotten slightly higher for Edmonton as Dan O’Rourke has been named to the officiating team for the game.

The Florida Panthers are 4-0 this postseason in games O’Rourke has officiated. Meanwhile, the Edmonton are 0-4 in games in which O’Rourke has been on the ice. While this stat may seem like a coincidence, fans aren’t having it.

This fan opined:

Another said:

Here’s a fan who weighed in:

However, not all fans blame the refs for Edmonton’s poor performance. Some have expressed optimism that Edmonton will pull a win in Game 3.

This fan opined:

"Time to add an Oilers win to that stat."

Here’s an optimistic fan:

"This makes me want to bet Oilers tonight."

Another fan chimed in:

"File this under meaningless facts."

Edmonton is set to take on Florida in Game 3. With a win, the Oilers can find a way back into the series. With home-ice advantage on their side, the team hopes a turnaround is in the making.

---

The Edmonton Oilers won Game 2 simulation

The Hockey News recently explored a Game 2 simulation using the NHL 24 software. According to their report, the Florida Panthers won the series 4-3. However, the simulation showed Edmonton winning game 3, 4-1.

The piece explains lineup changes made ahead of the matchup. For example, Evander Kane sat in favor of Coey Perry. Also, Ryan McLeod was bumped up to the second line while Darnell Nurse sank to the bottom pairing.

As for Florida, Evan Rodrigues moved up to the first line while Carter Verhaeghe slid down to the second line. Otherwise, there were no substantial changes to the Panthers’ lineup.

The simulation showed Edmonton scoring four goals on 14 shots. Mattias Ekholm, Zach Hyman, and Connor McDavid had two points in the matchup. Most importantly, it was the first game in which Edmonton was able to get past Panthers’ netminder Sergei Bobrovsky.

While the simulation was done in good fun, it’s hard to imagine how a scenario like this could play out in real life. If the simulation is right, and the series goes to seven games, a major comeback could be on the horizon for Edmonton.