FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Edmonton Oilers winger Corey Perry knew from his seat on the bench he wanted to say something.
His team looked flat, outclassed by the reigning champion Florida Panthers, and were in danger of a third consecutive loss in their Stanley Cup Final rematch that would have put them on the brink of losing once again. In the locker room at the first intermission Thursday night, he offered some words of wisdom.
“It wasn’t wisdom. It was just honesty,” Perry said Friday. “Had to realize where we were at the moment and just kind of look ourselves in the mirror and how we were playing.”
Everything flipped from there, with the Oilers erasing a three-goal deficit on the road and bouncing back from losing the lead with 19.5 seconds left in regulation to win Game 4 by a 5-4 count in overtime and tie the best-of-seven series up heading back to Canada. This terrific title series is now a best-of-three set between two titans, stocked with experienced players like Perry who have been here before and know how to be at their best when the stakes are the highest.
“There’s a reason both teams are here,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “It’s the hardest trophy to win, and both teams are resilient and strong and have some amazing players that can do some amazing things. It’s going to take all of us. That’s the message: Stay together and find a way to get it done.”
Sometime in the next week, either Florida repeats or veteran center Connor McDavid hoists the Stanley Cup for the first time and ends Canada’s NHL championship drought dating to 1993. These hardened opponents will play at least two more times, starting with Game 5 on Saturday night in Edmonton, undoubtedly putting on a spectacular display of hockey in the process.
“Oh, this is as good as this thing gets,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “This is Christmas. This is the payoff.”
Maurice’s team has played 312 regular-season and playoff games since he took over. The Oilers have played 303.
Yet somehow they are bringing some of their best hockey in June. It’s something Maurice chalks up to excitement that builds energy knowing the end is near, and the Panthers, in their third consecutive title series and the Oilers in their second, seem to thrive at this stage.
“Just the maturity of the team,” second-year Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said in the way of an explanation. “We’re an older team. There’s been a lot of highs and lows that they’ve experienced.”
Those highs and lows hit extremes Thursday night when the Panthers built a 3-0 lead in the first period and the Oilers erased it in the second period. They went back and forth again in the third before Leon Draisaitl scored his fourth overtime goal of these playoffs, setting the record for any single NHL postseason.
Florida is now all even with the team it beat a year ago, knowing home-ice advantage again melted away.
“You kind of ride that wave,” Florida winger Sam Reinhart said. “It’s an emotional grind. That’s part of it. That makes it so sweet when you win it. So, we’re in another battle, and we won’t want it any other way. And now it’s about recovering and going into Edmonton and trying to do what we can to win a Game 5 and bring it back here.”
There will be a Game 6 on Tuesday night in Florida, along with the nerves and anticipation about one team being on the verge of completing a title journey. Players can’t realistically think that way right now, though, after things have been so tight that three of four games have required at least one extra period.
“I’m not looking longer or further than the next game,” Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “It’s Game 5 now, and we all know that Game 5 is always a big, big game in the playoffs.”
Thanks to a scheduling quirk, it also comes on a short turnaround, without an extra travel day for the teams to practice and shake off the cross-continental jet lag. Maurice said that’s nothing new for his group, accustomed to it from the long season. They know there will be a jacked-up crowd waiting in Edmonton.
“We know it’s going to be a quick pace, and that building is very loud,” Florida defenseman Gustav Forsling said. “It’s going to be loud. It’s going to be pressure on both teams.”