For the second year in a row, the Edmonton Oilers fell short of their Stanley Cup aspirations. The Western Conference champions lost in six games to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, who hoisted Lord Stanley once again.

Following the gut-wrenching defeat, Connor McDavid made it clear — the Oilers left it all out on the ice. The Cats were simply just better.

Via The Athletic:

“We lost to a really good team,” McDavid said. “Nobody quit, nobody threw the towel in, but they’re a heck of a team. They’re back-to-back Stanley Cup champions for a reason.”

Florida dominated in the series clincher, winning 5-1. They also took Game 5 in Edmonton by a score of 5-2. The reality is that the Oilers played far from their best hockey in the final two games of the series, and goaltending was a significant issue. Calvin Pickard struggled on Saturday, and Stuart Skinner's return to the crease for Game 6 was a nightmare as well.

While it was a phenomenal season for the Oilers, falling just short for another season is heartbreaking. And this series just felt a little bit different than last year's. Edmonton fought their way back from a 3-0 hole to force a Game 7. This time around, they fell apart after Game 4.

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“Last year, we were playing for it. This year we weren’t,” defenseman Mattias Ekholm said, referring to the fact the Oilers got to Game 7. “So, that may give you the answer.”

Both of Edmonton's wins in the Finals were in overtime. It took everything they had to actually beat the Panthers, needing comebacks to get the job done.

“We need to learn from this right away, right now,” Skinner said. “Letting it happen two times in a row is devastating.”

It's back to the drawing board for McDavid and Co., who will be looking to finally win a title next June. But, it will be a long journey to return to the Cup Finals, and they may have to get through the Panthers again, who are building a modern-day dynasty.