Oilers stun Panthers to force Game 7 of Stanley Cup Finals

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The Edmonton Oilers are on the verge of hockey history.

With their backs up against the wall yet again, the Oilers looked relaxed and confident in a convincing 5-1 victory in Game 6 over the Florida Panthers.

Bye bye, 3-0 deficit. Hello, Game 7.

“We’re just having fun, Connor McDavid told Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas postgame. “We believe in each other.

While the City of Edmonton erupted following the win, McDavid downplayed the monstrosity of the moment.

“We’re just excited to keep our season going. It’s just one game at a time, one day at a time.”

Don’t be fooled by McDavid’s nonchalant attitude. Game 7 will be one of the biggest games in NHL history.

Nevermind the Stanley Cup Finals. Of 211 teams to trail 3-0 in a series, only nine of them have come back to force a Game 7, with Edmonton becoming the 10th. Four of those nine team went on to win Game 7.

The Oilers are now just the third team in NHL history to force Game 7 in a Stanley Cup Final after being down 3-0. They became the first team to do so since the Detroit Red Wings, who did so way back in 1945.

Heck, that was before Oilers legend Wayne Gretzky was even born.

Oilers depth players step up

And while current Oilers phenom Connor McDavid was the story heading into Game 6, with eight points in his last two games, it was Edmonton’s depth players who stepped up early.

Warren Foegele continued his strong Stanley Cup Finals, burying a sweet pass from Leon Draisaitl just 7:27 into the game.

After outshooting the Panthers 11-2 in the first period, the Oilers continued to press in the opening minute of the second, with Adam Henrique scoring to give Edmonton a 2-0 lead.

Just 10 seconds later, Aleksander Barkov appeared to tie the game. However, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch challenged for offside, and won the close call.

The building erupted after the reversed goal, but Zach Hyman sent Oilers fans into pandemonium with a breakaway goal that made the game 3-0.

Barkov did score to make the game 3-1 early in the third period, but Ryan McLeod and Darnell Nurse sealed the victory with empty net goals.

McDavid had no points in the victory, with Draisaitl registering just a single assist.

Oilers’ Skinner shines under pressure

After Game 3 against the Vancouver Canucks in Round Two, it looked like Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner wasn’t ready for the playoff spotlight.

He was pulled in that game, allowing four goals on 14 shots. It was the fourth time in his NHL career that he was pulled in a postseason game.

Despite some shaky moments, Skinner has stepped up for Edmonton when it matters most.

In Games 4 through 7 in these Stanley Cup playoffs, Skinner has a perfect 10-0 record to go along with a 1.50 Goals Against Average and a .940 save percentage.

Because of that, his chance has a shot as NHL history.

Not only have the Oilers shocked the hockey world, they can now become the first team since the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942 to go down 3-0 in a series and come back to win the Stanley Cup.

The penultimate Game 7 will take place back in Sunrise, Florida on Monday at 6:00pm MT.

More to come…

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