What McDavid said after another Edmonton Oilers loss in the Stanley Cup Final
It’s deja vu for the Edmonton Oilers in the worst possible way.
For the second-straight season, the Oilers have been eliminated in the Stanley Cup Final by the Florida Panthers. Last year, it took seven games to get to the heartbreak; this time, it only took six games.
This is the first time in nearly 50 years that a team has lost consecutive Stanley Cup Final series. For Connor McDavid, it’s an unexpected wrinkle in what should be a sparkling career. He’s the best player on the planet, but he has yet to win it all.
The dejected Oilers captain spoke to reporters soon after the final buzzer rang on Edmonton’s season.
“We lost to a really good team,” McDavid started. “I don’t think people thought we were gonna make it this far. We believed… came up short again.
“We came together at the right time. A lot of difficult circumstances coming down the stretch with injuries and guys fighting through things… We just found a way to get here.”
"We came together at the right time. A lot of difficult circumstances coming down the stretch with injuries… We found a way to get here, credit to a lot of guys."
Connor McDavid speaks after tonight's #Oilers defeat. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/IVBvDzqu95
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 18, 2025
The Oilers pulled out two dramatic OT victories earlier in this series, but were otherwise brutalized by the Panthers. In total, Edmonton held the lead for a measly 33:51, while Florida held the lead for an astounding 255:39, an NHL record.
It took the Panthers six games to eliminate the Oilers, but it wasn’t all that close. McDavid singled out one specific part of Florida’s game that gave Edmonton fits.
“Their forecheck was great, they tilted the rink,” McDavid said. “We kept f*cking trying the same thing over and over again, banging our heads against the wall. Credit to them, they played well.
“Nobody quit, nobody threw the towel in, they’re a heck of a team. Stanley Cup Champions back-to-back for a reason.”
That forecheck stifled the Oilers captain as he finished the series with just a goal and seven points over six games.
Edmonton will now travel back to the Alberta capital, where they will conduct their end-of-season media availabilities. After that, it’ll be another long summer thinking of what could have been for the Oilers.
Not to mention that a new contract extension will be top of mind for McDavid and Edmonton.