The Edmonton Oilers made a stunning comeback in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals with a 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Friday night.
With the series deadlocked at three games apiece, the Oilers and Panthers will meet in a decider on Monday night in Florida for the championship.
The Oilers refused to surrender in their attempt to end Canada’s long drought without a Stanley Cup, and rallied back to capture glory. After initially going 0-3, Edmonton advanced to an elite group as only the third team in Stanley Cup Finals history to force a decisive Game 7, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942 and the Detroit Red Wings in 1945. became involved.
“It’s unbelievable. The belief in our locker room is unbelievable. Our fans, everybody believes in us. It’s really special to play here, especially in front of this crowd and forcing a Game 7,” Oilers forward Zach Hyman. commented after the game.
Edmonton took control early, with Warren Foegele opening the scoring in the first period with a goal on a pass from Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers increased their lead just 46 seconds into the second period, making it 2–0 on a 2-on-1 opportunity finished by Adam Henrique off a feed from Mattias Janmark.
Shortly after Florida appeared to pull one back, Panthers captain Alexander Barkov got a rebound past Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner. However, Edmonton successfully challenged for offside, and the goal was overturned on review because Sam Reinhart was ruled offside before the game.
The NHL explained its decision to void the goal, saying, ‘Upon review of all available replays and consultation with on-ice officials, it was determined that one or more attacking players fouled the puck, warranting an offside call. Entered the area before. Therefore, the goal was rejected.
Despite the Panthers having control of territorial play in the second period, the Oilers dominated the scoreboard. Hyman increased Edmonton’s lead to 3–0, taking advantage of a breakaway with 1:40 left in the period to score his 16th goal of the postseason.
Hyman’s 16 goals are the most in a postseason since Joe Sakic’s 18 goals in the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs. He joins current teammate Connor McDavid (72 in 2022–23) and former teammate Auston Matthews (70 in 2023–24) as the third active player to score 70 total goals in a season (regular season and playoffs). Have joined a special group.
Florida got the breakthrough early in the third period when Barkov slipped past the Oilers’ defenders and scored, closing the gap to two goals. However, empty net figures from Ryan McLeod and Darnell Nurse dashed any hopes of a comeback for the Panthers.
At one point, the Oilers were at the bottom of the NHL standings with a disappointing 2–9–1 record at the beginning of the season.
“It’s about unwavering faith. We have discussed this extensively, and despite the challenges we faced throughout the year, we have always maintained confidence in our ability to persevere. No matter how dire the circumstances, we believed in our chances. It was a season full of adversity that prepared us for this comeback, but the next challenge will be the toughest,” Hyman reflected.
In NHL postseason history, only four teams have claimed victory from an 0–3 series deficit, with only one instance occurring in the Stanley Cup Finals – more than 80 years ago when the Maple Leafs swept the Red Wings in 1942. Historically, teams that have taken a 3–0 lead in a series have scored 206–4.
If the Oilers completed their comeback and won the series, they would break a three-decade Stanley Cup drought for Canadian teams – the Montreal Canadiens were the last to hoist the Cup in 1993.
The decisive Game 7 is scheduled for Monday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
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