“It can be done”: Oilers not giving up on their Stanley Cup chase

The Edmonton Oilers have their backs against the wall.

Down 3-0 against the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final, they face a gargantuan task: win their next four games to stay alive and advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

The odds of pulling off such a feat aren’t great. MoneyPuck.com gives Edmonton just a 3.6% chance of winning the series, as well as giving the Avalanche a 55% chance of closing the series out tonight.

And yet? The Oilers are still confident enough that they can find themselves in the history books with a miraculous comeback.

Only four teams in NHL history have successfully mounted a 3-0 comeback in a best of seven playoff series, the most recent of which to happen was the 2014 Los Angeles Kings, who defeated the San Jose Sharks. That year, the Kings set a record for most wins in elimination games, as they ended up winning their second Stanley Cup in three years.

“You guys can roll your eyes all you want but it’s one game,” Edmonton defenceman Tyson Barrie said ahead of Game 4 tonight. “It’s one game at a time… it can be done.”

One year ago, Edmonton was in this spot, down 3-0 against the Winnipeg Jets. They fell in overtime of Game 4, and were promptly swept out of the playoffs without winning a game.

These Oilers might be a little different. But they’ve only got one more opportunity to prove themselves when the stakes are highest.

“We have to play the best game we’ve played all year,” Barrie added. “We have nothing to lose, we have nothing to save it for.”

2020 first round draft pick Dylan Holloway is projected to make his NHL debut for the home side tonight. Evander Kane is missing for the Oilers due to suspension, while Kailer Yamamoto remains out with an injury.

“We’ve done it all season; it’s the next-man-up mentality,” Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said of slotting new players in the lineup. “We have enough great players on our roster who can fill in and come in with energy and do a great job. I’m not too worried.”

Puck drop is set for 6 pm MT.

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