It’s hard to win with a slow defence.
Watching Ceci, Nurse, Bouchard, etc. being forechecked to death must have been a painful experience for Oilers fans. The Panthers had no respect for the Oilers’ defence and simply employed a dump and chase tactic knowing that on most occasions their forwards would beat the Oilers’ defense to the puck. As a result, for most of the Series, it was like a chaotic fire drill in the Oilers’ defensive zone. That resulting chaos provides a cautionary tale for the many Montreal fans who are seemingly anxious to trade away our most mobile defencemen.
Oilers lost this series at the trade deadline when Holland failed to upgrade the mobility of his defence.
Frankly, without the brilliance of McDavid, the Oilers aren’t a playoff team..