Edmonton Oilers defenceman Jake Walman has received a pair of $5,000 fines for infractions committed in Monday’s 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
One of the fines was for roughing in the third period against Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, who was already tied up with Oilers defenceman John Klingberg when Walman took a swing at his head.
The other was for unsportsmanlike conduct in the second period, when Walman sprayed a water bottle from the Oilers bench onto Florida forward A.J. Greer, who was on Florida’s bench.
“Obviously, I did that for a reason. I won’t go into details,” Walman said. “Gamesmanship, I guess. I just have to realize there’s cameras everywhere and they see that stuff.”
It was a clear-cut case of the Oilers letting the Panthers get the best of them on an emotional level, which quickly transitioned onto the scoreboard.
“We didn’t get off to a great start with the penalties. We got behind. We’ve got to clean that up,” Walman said. “We’ve got to be more disciplined. We know better than that. Eventually, they’re going to find a way. It’s a great team.
“We shoot ourselves in the foot a little bit, there. It kind of takes the flow out of it. Guys that don’t play special teams are sitting on the bench.”
The frustrations certainly affected some Oilers more than others.
“It’s for the Stanley Cup. F***, there’s not an inch out there,” Walman said post-game. “Everybody’s doing everything they can, and it’s a grown man’s game out there. It’s not for the faint of heart. Guys are putting everything on the line.
“We’ll have a couple of days to mentally reset. That’s the biggest thing after a game like that.”
