Here’s the mountain that the Edmonton Oilers must climb heading into Saturday’s Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final (8 p.m. ET; ABC): Only four teams have ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit and won – and only one of those teams, the 1941-42 Toronto Maple Leafs, accomplished it during the final.
All that in mind, the Florida Panthers know they are going to be seeing a desperate Oilers team for however long is left in this series.
The task is daunting, but losing is no longer an option for Edmonton. It’s win and stay around for another game.
For the Panthers, it’s win and spend the summer celebrating the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title.
“We know it’s going to be the hardest game for sure,” said Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov after Game 3. “We don’t take anything for granted. Every single day is one day at a time. Whether it’s one period, one shift, we take it one at a time. That’s how we’ve been all year.”
Everything that helped lead the Oilers to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2006 has been neutralized by the Panthers.
Edmonton’s power play, which was scoring at a 37.3% rate through three rounds? Zero goals in 10 opportunities.
The two-head monster of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisatil who combined for 15 goals and 59 points in 18 games before facing the Panthers? Zero goals and three assists (all McDavid’s) through three games.
Depth helps wins championships, but depth cannot lead you to a title. All four Oilers’ goals in the series have been scored by Ryan McLeod, Warren Foegele, Mattias Ekholm, and Philip Broberg.
There are only so many lineup changes and systemic tweaks Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch can make to salvage the series. At some point, their best players need to be their best players.
While the Oilers’ strengths have fizzled, the Panthers haven’t missed a beat.
Leading into the Cup Final, their play as a defensive collective helped shut down opposing team stars.
Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point combined for three goals in five games for Tampa in the First Round; Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak contributed a total of zero goals for the Bruins in the Second Round; and Mika Zibanejard, Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider scored two goals in six games for the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.
Now it has been McDavid’s and Draisaitl’s turn to be stopped.
Florida has done a good job at keeping shots to the perimeter, and when Edmonton is able to create high-danger scoring chances Sergei Bobrovsky – a Conn Smythe Trophy contender – is there to keep the puck out of his net.
Now comes, as Barkov put it, the hardest game to win for the Panthers. As difficult as it may end up being, the reward at the end will be worth it.
“We’ve done such a good job of having that one game, simple mindset,” said Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk on Friday. “Win your first period. Win your first few shifts. It’s all you’ve got to do [in Game 4]. It’s really calm, kind of chill and relaxed group today. We’ll use that to our advantage.”
