EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid was held scoreless, allowing Leon Draiseitel and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers' top players to step up and move within one win. Stanley Cup.
Draisaitl made his first big impact in the finals with an assist on Warren Vogel's early goal, and Adam Henrique and Zach Hyman scored in the second period as the Oilers beat the Florida Panthers 5-1 in Game 6 on Friday night to force a Game 7.
Ryan McLeod (71) of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates after scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers during the third period of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton, Alberta, Friday, June 21, 2024. The Oilers won 5-1 to tie the series. (Jason Franson/Associated Press via The Canadian Press)
“At the end of the day, we're playing to win and this is going to be our toughest game,” Draisaitl said. “We've got to play our game again.”
The Oilers are the first team to tie the finals after trailing 3-0 in the series since the Detroit Red Wings in 1945. On Monday night in Sunrise, the Oilers have a chance to become the only NHL team to come back from that deficit to hoist the Stanley Cup, joining the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs.
“We had unwavering belief,” Hyman said, “that no matter what happened throughout the year, we would get through it. No matter how tough the situation is, we believe we have a chance. A long season of facing adversity has prepared us, and this next season will be the toughest of all. To do it in front of this crowd is an incredible feeling. Now we have a chance to win, our first chance to win.”
The opportunity to make hockey history and end Canada's 30-year Cup drought is McDavid's heroics He pulled the Oilers out of a tight spot with four points each in Games 4 and 5. It was the first time in his nine-year career that the Oilers won without him scoring or taking a shot.
Draisaitl, a longtime teammate from Germany who is the reigning league MVP and considered one of the best players in the world, was largely ineffective against the Panthers but provided a spark in Game 5.
The Edmonton Oilers celebrate after defeating the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton, Alberta, Friday, June 21, 2024. The Oilers won, 5-1, to tie the series. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via The Associated Press)
“He's a horse,” defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “He always comes on in the big moments. If you look at what he's done in the playoffs, he's one of the best players of all time.”
Draisaitl got the puck at center ice, slipped it through a Florida defender and onto the tape of Voegele's stick for a tap-in that Sergei Bobrovsky had little hope of stopping. Of course, that didn't stop the rapt, sell-out crowd of more than 18,000 from jeeringly chanting “Sergei! Sergei!” all night, even before the national anthem began.
The goalie, whom everyone calls “Bob,” is not to blame. Mistakes in front of him also contributed to a 2-on-1 rush, when Mattias Janmark's perfect pass allowed Henrique to beat Bobrovsky on a 2-on-1 rush. The Panthers looked nervous and timid in front of their goalie, nothing like the powerhouse team that reached the finals for the second straight year and came within a whisker of winning its first three games to win its first title in franchise history.
“We have one game left,” Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov said. “We were prepared for a seven-game series from the beginning, and now nothing's changed. We were up three games and they played well in all three games. Now it's just a matter of winning at home.”
Florida had just six shots on goal by the middle of the game and had 21 at the end of the game. Continuing the trend of being there when the Oilers needed it most, Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner Made a timely save. They held off the Panthers, allowing just one goal to Aleksandr Barkov within the first 90 seconds of the third period.
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) is scored on by Edmonton Oilers goaltender Zach Hyman (18) as Gustav Forsling (42) looks on during the second period of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton, Alberta, Friday, June 21, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Associated Press via The Canadian Press)
“When we needed him he did a great job,” Janmark said of Skinner.
The goal came off the board 10 seconds after Enrique scored when Barkov got the puck for the first time. Edmonton coach Chris Knobloch The challenge was successful An offside call. A lengthy review revealed that Sam Reinhart had entered the offensive zone probably an inch or less ahead of the puck, and when the call was announced, the fans erupted in cheers.
“I actually didn't think it was that close,” Knobloch said. “It was definitely offside in my opinion.”
It wasn't the loudest noise ever recorded at Rogers Place, but there were plenty of deserving contenders for the honor: When the Oilers took to the ice to the tune of Metallica's “Enter Sandman,” the decibel meter displayed on the video screen reached 113.8.
The noise level may have approached that level when Ryan McLeod and Nurse found the back of the net in the final seconds of the game, setting off chants of “We want the cup!” “We want the cup!” and wild celebrations from the viewing party outside.
Hours before kickoff, downtown was a sea of blue and orange, and Friday was a holiday in Edmonton, a city home to nearly a million people who could dream of the Oilers hoisting another white flag to the rafters — and in the most unlikely of ways.
Warren Vogel (37) of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates with Dylan Holloway (55) after scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers during the first period of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton, Alberta, Friday, June 21, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/Associated Press via The Canadian Press)
“I'm excited for the season to continue,” McDavid said. “It's all about taking it one game at a time, one day at a time. I'm looking forward to the next game.”
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AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
