It ain’t over til it’s over. And it’s not the end. But the end of the beginning, And the beginning of the end.
And the Edmonton Oilers made sure it won’t be over until the final buzzer rings in Miami on Monday night.
That’’s because Canada’s upstart team of destiny defeated the favoured Florida Panthers by a decisive 5-1 margin to prolong their Stanley Cup series to seven games.
The Oilers are trying to become the first team in 82 years to win the Stanley Cup after falling behind 3-0 in the Final.
Again, it was contributions from the Oiler’s third and fourth lines that sealed the deal.
Mucker Warren Fogele got a goal and an assist and was named the game’s first star. Fan favourite Zach Hyman — it’s not apparently clear if you could call him a ‘star’ although he is definitely a fixture on this team — was second star on a beautiful goal that put the game out of reach.
Ryan McLeod and Darnell Nurse followed up with empty netters.
Superstar Connor McDavid failed to record a single point after ripping it up the last two games in a performance that all but seals the Conn Smythe trophy, win or lose.
But it is Lord Stanley that is firmly in sight after goaltender Stuart Skinner turned away 20 of 21 shots. Skinner actually recorded an assist on the Oilers’ fifth goal.
The Cats‘ Bobrovsky all but disappeared.
A controversial offside goal by the Panthers’ Alexander Barkov that would have made it 2-1 was called back early in the second period, but by then the damage was done. There was no turning back.
That’s when Hyman answered at 18:20 and that’s all she wrote. The fat lady sang.
The deciding game will go Monday in Florida.
But the Oilers have already made history by being just the 10th team in NHL history to force a Game 7 in a Stanley Cup playoff series after trailing 3-0. If they win it all, they’ll be the only team to accomplish the feat since the 1942 Toronto Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings.
Or as Captain Connor McDavid said after the game: “One game at a time.” Patience. Believe.