Oilers one win away: "Everybody will forget if you don't finish it"
The Edmonton Oilers are on the cusp of making one of the most improbable runs to a Stanley Cup that the NHL has seen.
After being in last place in November and battling back into a playoff spot, the Oilers then dispatched the LA Kings, Vancouver Canucks, and Dallas Stars to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final in 18 years against the Florida Panthers.
Things got off to about as terrible a start as the Oilers could ask for. The Panthers stonewalled Edmonton and quickly jumped out to a 3-0 series lead. That kind of deficit is rarely overcome in any round of the playoffs, let alone the finals.
Yet, after a dominant 5-1 Game 6 win on home ice, the Oilers have somehow, someway, tied the series up and are going back to Florida with a chance to win the Stanley Cup on Monday night.
It’s been a whirlwind of a series and one that has captured the imagination of not only Edmonton but the entire hockey world. A reverse sweep has not been done in the Stanley Cup Final since 1942, but it could happen once again next week.
It would be easy to get swept away in the emotions of such an improbable comeback, but the Oilers aren’t letting that distract them from getting one last victory to secure their ultimate goal.
“It’s a great story, but you need to finish it, everybody will forget if you don’t finish it,” Zach Hyman told reporters after Game 6. “It’s great to give [Oilers fans] a moment like that, but I think they’re waiting for a bigger moment.”
"We’re playing fast, we’re playing forward & we’re playing well with the lead."
Hyman shares his thoughts on the play of the entire team after scoring a clutch goal in tonight’s Game 6 victory. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/xE7errv2nf
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 22, 2024
Nobody will bat an eye at this incredible comeback from the Oilers if it doesn’t result in the Stanley Cup returning to Canada for the first time since 1993. As amazing as a series as it has been, the job is far from over for Edmonton.
The celebration in the dressing room after Game 6 was a muted one as the all-important Game 7 now looms over this group. Win that one and then you can let the emotional floodgates open. Until then, it’s all business.
“We know the job’s not done and [the fans] know the job’s not done,” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said after the win. “We’ve truly believed in each other this whole season and throughout the whole playoffs.
“We’re one away and we know it’s going to be the hardest one.”
"To be able to do the job in front of them tonight was special."
Nugent-Hopkins on the Edmonton crowd at @RogersPlace during tonight’s 5-1 Game 6 win. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/jhFacPhTe5
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 22, 2024
The team was already formulating a game plan for Game 7 in the moments after the game. After Daily Hive asked Nugent-Hopkins about what the preparation for such a big game would look like, he responded with a detailed answer.
“The focus is going to be on the start,” Nugent-Hopkins explained. “We know what we can do and how we need to play to get the result we need but it’s going to come down to a good start.”
For guys like Nugent-Hopkins, the next game represents something he has been working toward for his entire career. He has been with the organization since 2011 and has gone through some pretty rough seasons to get to this point.
Leon Draisaitl has been here since 2014 and says that everything he has done with the Oilers has built up to this opportunity.
“I’ve been here for a long time and been through some pretty bad years,” Draisaitl said. “To give [the fans] that is really special, hopefully we can finish the job for them.”
"Really, really proud to give ourselves a chance."
Skinner & Draisaitl speak as the #Oilers force Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final vs. the Panthers with tonight’s win. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/8G9EhilaP1
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 22, 2024
It will almost certainly be a long two days for Oilers fans as they await Game 7 down in Florida on Monday night. It will be the most important and most widely anticipated game to hit the franchise since 2006.
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