Oilers have new Stanley Cup mantra: "Drag 'em back to Alberta"
The Edmonton Oilers aren’t getting too ahead of themselves going into Game 5 of their Stanley Cup Final series against the Florida Panthers tonight.
With the Panthers up 3-1 in the series, the season and the Stanley Cup are on the line for the Oilers. While all the talk surrounding the series has been about the possibility of Edmonton doing the impossible and coming back from a 3-0 deficit, there is only one mission on the mind of the Oilers right now:
“Drag ’em back to Alberta.”
Captain Connor McDavid first said that phrase following Saturday night’s 8-1 victory in Game 4, and it has turned into a bit of a mantra for the Oilers. Winning Game 5 tonight would force the Panthers to take another long flight to the Alberta capital for Game 6.
It’s something that Florida absolutely will not want to do, but Edmonton intends to make it happen.
“It’s not the most enjoyable flight [from Florida to Edmonton],” McDavid told reporters this morning. “Make them go on one more plane ride, one more flight, that’s all we can really do.”
"You need everybody, you need everybody to be playing."
McDavid on the importance of the #Oilers depth heading into Game 5. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/9r8nixbJwR
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 18, 2024
The Oilers will obviously want to force the Panthers to take flight once more to keep their season alive, but Connor Brown explained that there is also motivation to give the fans back in Edmonton one last chance to cheer at Rogers Place.
A potential Game 6 would be the last possible game to be hosted in Edmonton this season, and Brown says they want to soak in the atmosphere one last time.
“Every time you’re back in Edmonton, it seems to get louder and louder when you didn’t expect it could get any louder,” Brown told reporters. “That’s the goal, we’re going to try to drag ’em back to Alberta.
“We love playing on home ice. This is going to be a difficult game, and we feel confident in the type of game that it’s going to be with that anticipation of getting back to Alberta.”
"In our room we're very comfortable with the depth of this club."
Hyman & Brown speak ahead of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final in Florida. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/s0o147wsTz
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 18, 2024
Even Dylan Holloway, who is getting his first real taste of playoff hockey this season and thriving in it, has echoed the mantra of taking the Panthers back to the Oil capital of Canada kicking and screaming.
“We know [the Panthers’] energy is going to be high, they are going to be going for it,” Holloway said this morning. “The last thing they wanna do is come back to Edmonton, and that’s where we plan on bringing them.”
Puck drop for Game 5 is set for 6 pm MT.
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