Oilers pull off epic comeback to tie ‘craziest’ Stanley Cup Remaining

SUNRISE, Fla. — Typically, at a time like this, it’s best to simply attempt to step again, blink your eyes and clear your head.

Look down on this Stanley Cup Remaining from the proverbial 30,000 ft, gazing on the group you’ve been cheering for all these years, and attempt to put all of it into some type perspective.

And should you can handle all of that right here within the spring of 2025 — with the Edmonton Oilers having tied these irascible Florida Panthers at 2-2 after one other hair-raising comeback capped by a Leon Draisaitl additional time purpose Thursday — the conclusion you’ll arrive at will possible not differ a lot from the next:

“It is the craziest hockey I’ve ever performed in,” mentioned Oilers defenceman Jake Walman. “And I really feel like, in entrance of our followers, it will even ramp up slightly bit extra. I’m so excited to get again dwelling.”

On a Thursday evening in Dawn, how shut have been the Oilers to having the solar set on a second Stanley Cup journey towards Florida?

Yet one more purpose towards within the opening-period debacle? Yet one more loopy dumb high-sticking penalty?

Edmonton couldn’t play any worse within the opening 20 minutes, and couldn’t have dug a gap a lot deeper than the 3-0 deficit the Oilers helped Florida construct with three minor penalties — together with a prolonged five-on-three on which Matthew Tkachuk scored.

“We wished to come back out sturdy tonight,” Draisaitl mentioned. “However they put us on our heels early, and we have been type of lollygagging round slightly bit. Definitely not the time to be lollygagging round, proper? Particularly after getting spanked in Sport 3.”

“Our group didn’t get many alternatives,” head coach Kris Knoblauch mentioned of a primary interval the place the pictures favoured the Panthers 17-7. “Once more, taking three penalties within the first interval. Two (for) high-sticking, which I am hating.”

On this collection nevertheless, with these groups, was anyone altering the channel?

Are you able to ever change the change the channel on these Oilers? Regardless of how perplexing that first interval was, with a Stanley Cup on the road and a group that “lollygagged” out of the dressing room for Interval 1?

Knoblauch yanked goalie Stu Skinner — possible Edmonton’s greatest participant in Interval 1 — between intervals, and that was maybe not crucial resolution made throughout that intermission.

Corey Perry, the eldest Oiler however simply one of many many veterans stocking the Nationwide Hockey League’s oldest roster, determined it was his flip to steer. And for these of us on the market who scoff on the arrival of any participant deemed to be “good within the room,” properly, have a hearken to what the boys needed to say about that first intermission, and the function Perry performed.

“When he speaks up, you hear,” Draisaitl mentioned. “And also you do what he says.”

“What I observed simply what a bunch of leaders we’ve got in our room,” started Walman, whose clutch go-ahead purpose late within the third was 19.5 seconds away from standing up. “We got here in, Perrs gave us slightly speech, a pair different guys spoke up. The type of the quiet confidence that we’ve got in our room, even down 3-0, to show that sport round…

“I don’t assume we’re ever out of a sport.”

“Simply get to work. That was the message,” mentioned Darnell Nurse, an assistant captain who is aware of when to step apart and let another person cleared the path — letter or no. “The tone might need been slightly totally different, however …  he got here and introduced that message.

“The desperation of the playoffs is excessive,” Nurse mentioned. “The desperation within the Stanley Cup Finals is one other stage. We would have liked to carry our desperation up tonight, clearly, within the second interval. And we discovered a manner to do this.”

Hockey folks, at a second like that, all assume the identical manner.

“Simply rating the following purpose, and we’ll have an opportunity,” was the theme to open Interval 2, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins picked a nook on the facility play to fulfil that, fixing Sergei Bobrovsky and getting Edmonton on the board.

Then Nurse picked a spot over Bob’s shoulder from a not-so-great angle, and it was a ballgame once more. Subsequent, a assured Nurse circled the Florida internet with the puck, guided it into the difficulty zone, and fourth-liner Vasily Podkolzin slammed it dwelling.

After Walman and Sam Reinhart scored, it was off to additional time, the place Pickard made a monumental cease on Sam Bennett — off his glove and off the crossbar — to protect the collection, actually.

Because the play unfolded — a beautiful saucer cross to Bennett, the playoff chief with 14 objectives teeing up a large open one-timer from the slot — we’d wager the group on the Moss Pit fell lethal silent.

“I type of learn it fairly properly,” Pickard defined. “Then I appeared in my glove and it wasn’t in there. I type of heard the group, like, oohing and ahhing. It was a great bounce, after which we acquired one.”

Who else however Draisaitl, who one-handed a cross in the direction of Perry, the orator who didn’t have a degree on the evening, however got here up with two big assists between his speech and the decoy he performed on the winner. The puck hit a sliding Niko Mikkola and acquired previous Bobrovsky, a 5-4 win and an absolute thriller.

It was Draisaitl’s fourth OT winner this spring, a brand new NHL report. He broke a tie with Maurice Richard and three others to face alone in having maybe essentially the most clutch NHL post-season ever recorded.

“He is as clutch because it will get,” Pickard mentioned of Draisaitl. “Clearly it was a sport of bounces. They acquired one on the finish of the third there, after which we acquired the final one. He is been enjoying nice, at all times scores huge objectives at huge instances and we’re going dwelling with the momentum.”

When this collection started, the Panthers had an ungodly 31-0 report within the playoffs when main after the primary or second interval. They have been cash after they acquired forward of you.

Nicely, 4 video games into this traditional rematch, Edmonton has erased three leads and gained twice in additional time — each by Draisaitl.

You possibly can’t depend ’em out, these Oilers, and now they arrive dwelling to a Saturday evening sport in June, a best-of-three with the Stanley Cup on the road.

We’re unsure it will get any higher than this.