Oilers dupe media contingent, initially claim off-day but players have practice skate before Game 4 Stanley Cup Final

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Jun 12, 2025 05:40 GMT

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The Edmonton Oilers upset the media on Wednesday after holding a practice they first said would not happen. The team told reporters that only healthy scratches would skate, so most media members did not attend. Instead, a group of 16 players practiced.

Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic said it was called a day off, so most reporters stayed away. He also pointed out that the coach spoke on Zoom, limiting access. Nugent-Bowman added that fans may not care, but this was not a good look for the NHL.

Ryan Rishaug of TSN said the media were told only scratches would skate, and no time was given for the practice. He believed Edmonton wanted to protect its players from too much Stanley Cup attention. Having covered many finals, Rishaug has never seen this happen before.

Mark Spector of Sportsnet said that Edmonton tricked the media by claiming it was an off-day but still held a skate. He called it a "subterfuge," saying that the media did not like being misled.

"Oilers pull a fast one on the Stanley Cup media contingent, claiming an off day for the players. Then they skated. Subterfuge," Spector tweeted.

The Edmonton Oilers wanted to focus on their game, but the way they handled the practice did not go down well with the media.

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Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch's comments on Game 3 loss

The Edmonton Oilers lost 6-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. They took 21 penalties and gave up three power-play goals. That made it hard to stay in the game. Stuart Skinner was pulled after allowing five goals, with goalie Calvin Pickard replacing him in the third period.

Coach Kris Knoblauch said the team unraveled late in the game. He thought the players lost control because the game got out of hand.

"The third period is an unraveling," Knoblauch said, via NHL.com. "I don't think we would have acted or played like that had the game been a one-goal or two-goal game. I don't know, boys being boys I guess, just trying to make investments for the next game."

Knoblauch hasn’t picked a goalie for Game 4. He said Skinner didn’t get much help from the team. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were held without a point. Specifically, Draisaitl didn’t have a single shot.

Evander Kane called out the referee's decisions in Game 3.

"They're doing just as much stuff as we are," Kane said, via ESPN. "There seems to be a little bit more attention on our group."

The Panthers now lead the series 2-1, and the Oilers need a better Game 4 to even the series.