The Edmonton Oilers are one win away from a Stanley Cup title, a historic comeback and their first Canadian championship in 31 years.
As for the Florida Panthers, it must hurt right now.
With a 5-1 victory in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers became the first team in 78 years to force a Game 7 in an SCF where they previously trailed 3-0. Game 7 is scheduled for Monday at 8pm ET in Florida (ABC, ESPN+).
A win in Edmonton would make the team the second in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup after going down 3-0, joining the impressive 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs over the Detroit Red Wings. Only four teams have overcome a 3-0 deficit, the most recent being the 2014 Los Angeles Kings.
The good news for the Panthers is that the teams that were previously down 3-0 are actually 5-4 in Game 7, with the 1945 Maple Leafs avoiding a reversal of fortunes by the Red Wings. Of course, the lopsided nature of Games 4-6 likely dampened optimism on Florida’s side.
It was a familiar story in Game 6, as the Oilers took a three-goal lead into the second period for the third game in a row. That started with Leon Draisaitl finding Warren Foegele with a beautiful pass in the first period.
Edmonton took a 2-0 lead 46 seconds into the second period, but then controversy arose.
Panthers have goal erased after thorough review of offsides
10 seconds after Oilers’ Adam Henrique I found the bottom of the netAleksander Barkov appeared to score back with what would have been his second goal of the series.
However, the Oilers challenged the goal, arguing that Sam Reinhart was offside before the goal. Replays showed that Reinhart’s skate fully crossed the blue line just milliseconds after the puck crossed, but the referees ultimately decided it was clear enough to disallow the goal.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice was visibly furious after the decision was announced.
While the decision seemed impossible on the ABC broadcast, Sportsnet had an angle that made the reversal more explainable.
The Oilers scored once again through Zach Hyman late in the second period, leaving the Panthers in a situation where they needed to overcome a 3-0 deficit to avoid losing a 3-0 lead.
Barkov recovered some ground at the beginning of the third with a beautiful goal, but that was all Florida would get. Edmonton’s Ryan McLeod scored an empty-net goal with 3:15 left in the game, followed by another from Henrique for good measure. The Panthers could have made things difficult for the Oilers, but they came up short on three power plays, continuing a run of 46 penalties in 47 shorthanded situations for the Oilers.
Now, to avoid humiliation, the Panthers must completely reverse the performance of the last three games. At least they can say this has already been done once in this series.
2024 Stanley Cup Final (series tied 3-3)
Game 1: Panthers 3, Oilers 0
Game 2: Panthers 4, Oilers 1
Game 3: Panthers 4, Oilers 3
Game 4: Oilers 8, Panthers 1
Game 5: Oilers 5, Panthers 3
Game 6: Oilers 5, Panthers 1
Game 7: Lubricators in Panteras | Monday, June 24, 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)
