The Edmonton Oilers didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to lie down and die in Game 4 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Instead, it looks like the team got together as a group before Game 4, popped some popcorn, watched Shawshank Redemption and decided to get busy living rather than get busy dying.
The Oilers’ 8-1 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final has to rank up there with one of the greatest Game 4 victories in franchise history. Going into the June 15 game on home ice against the Panthers, many were writing the Oilers off, except the Oilers themselves. The panelists were getting ready to crown Panthers’ great goalie Sergei Bobrovsky as Conn Smythe winner for MVP of the NHL Playoffs. But much like the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, the Oilers weren’t quite ready to hand the Stanley Cup to the Panthers so easily.
Could the 2024 Oilers Be the Second Coming of the 1942 Maple Leafs?
There was a bit of an eerie coincidence in the Oilers’ 8-1 victory on Saturday night. Over 82 years ago the Toronto Maple Leafs were down 3-0 against the Detroit Red Wings, and in Game 4 of their Stanley Cup Final series, they also had a huge blowout victory, beating the Red Wings 9-3. They would ride the momentum of that big win to go on and win the remaining three games in the series to claim the 1942 Stanley Cup. Could history repeat itself with the Oilers? Possibly. Their whole 2023-24 NHL season feels like one big comeback. Remember when people left them for dead after starting the regular season 2-9-1?
Related: Oilers’ 2-9-1 Start a Distant Memory After Clinching Playoff Berth
These Oilers have proven that they never quit and you just never know what could happen back in Sunrise, Florida in Game 5 on Tuesday, June 18. If the Oilers can get to Panthers’ netminder Bobrovsky early, their chances only increase that they could keep the Stanley Cup Final series going. But that’s a big IF. These Panthers are good. And their coach, Paul Maurice, has proven to be an Oilers killer in past playoff series including a 4-0 sweep by the Maurice-coached Winnipeg Jets over the Oilers in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Oilers Were Also Down 3-1 in 2006 Stanley Cup Final
If you’re an Oilers fan and you’re looking for other signs of hope, remember that they clawed their way back to Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final after being down 3-1 in that series to the Carolina Hurricanes. It took an incredible goal by Fernando Pisani in overtime to beat the Canes and send the series back to Edmonton for Game 6. Pisani’s game-winner came shorthanded, and considering how well the Oilers penalty kill has been in the 2024 Playoffs, you just never know if history could repeat itself.
Hope Is a Good Thing, Maybe Even the Best of Things
There’s a scene in Shawshank Redemption when best friends Red and Andy are discussing philosophies on hope. Red chose to believe, “Hope is a dangerous thing, my friend, it can kill a man…” While Andy countered with, “Hope is a good thing, maybe even the best of things. And good things never die.”
Oilers fans, where are you sitting today? How full is your cup? Florida is a solid hockey team, a seasoned group who’ve been to the Stanley Cup Final before. The odds are still definitely in their favour. They have a big opportunity to win the Stanley Cup on home ice on Tuesday. But you just never know about this group of Oilers. Led by the greatest player of his generation, Connor McDavid, one of the best playoff scorers in league history, Leon Draisaitl, and a group of fast-skating hard-working believers, this Oilers team could be poised to make a bit of history of their own. Let’s see what Tuesday brings. I hope it’s a good game. I hope the Oilers give the Panthers all they can handle. I hope there’s a Game 6 back in Edmonton on Friday, June 21. I hope…
