5 FACTORS: What will it take for the Oilers to bring home Lord Stanley?
Let's face it, this series was always going to go to seven games.
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The Stanley Cup Final started out with back-to-back overtime sessions, followed by a blowout win by the Florida Panthers and a monster comeback by the Edmonton Oilers, again in overtime.
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The defending champion Panthers might have the upper hand following Saturday's 5-2 win, but if recent history has taught us anything, it's to expect a counterpunch from the Oilers in Game 6 on Tuesday (6 p.m., CBC, Sportsnet) to send the series back to Edmonton for Game 7 on what could very well become the craziest Friday night the City of Champions has ever seen.
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But they've got to earn themselves the chance first, of course. And in a series where absolutely nothing has been handed to them, no less.
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Here are five factors to consider if the Oilers are to earn redemption over the Panthers:
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STAY OUT OF THE BOX
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For gosh sake — or whatever word you would rather substitute for gosh — please, stay out of the penalty box. The Panthers know the Oilers are at their most dangerous at 5-on-5. The fans on both sides know it. It's only the Oilers who apparently lack the awareness as they play into the hands of their opponent time and time again.
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Sure, there is a fine line between playing hard enough to be competitive, and going too far and getting penalized. But the long line to the sin bin has turned into a damaging trend for the Oilers, who then wonder why they find themselves having to play from behind early so often.
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The officials have shown they would rather put their whistles away at this point in the series. Don't give them any obvious reason to change their mind.
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PLAYING FROM BEHIND
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That being said, it's been no secret over the past couple years the Oilers only really start playing in a series when their backs are completely up against the wall.
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We saw it back when they opened the post-season with back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Kings, and were trailing 4-3 heading into the third period of Game 3 in what was shaping up to be an early exit. Instead, they rallied to score three third-period goals to win not only that game, but their next five in a commanding turnaround that carried them all the way back to the Stanley Cup Final.
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Losing Games 2 and 3 to Florida marked the only other time these playoffs the Oilers lost back to back, but it didn't give them the same push this time around. Now, if the prospect of facing elimination isn't enough to kick them into high gear, nothing will.
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Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Lauren Kyle McDavid shares hockey superstitions, how she'll be watching Game 6
Lauren Kyle McDavid plans to stand by the fireplace in her downtown Edmonton bar while watching Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. It's the same spot where she watched her husband — Edmonton Oilers captain and superstar Connor McDavid — stickhandle a puck into a net in Game 5. 'It's a feeling and, if anything positive happens, you got to stay in that position,' Kyle McDavid said with a laugh during an interview at her business on Monday. The 28-year-old interior designer and business owner says ensuring she's in the same position when the Oilers are playing, and wearing the same heels with the same red handbag, is a silly thing. But it goes to show how invested she is in the games, she said. Story continues below advertisement So is her husband. '(Connor) does a lot of things before a game. He is extremely, extremely ritual based. But I'm going to actually leave that as a secret.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "(Connor) does a lot of things before a game. He is extremely, extremely ritual based. But I'm going to actually leave that as a secret." The Oilers play the Florida Panthers in a make-or-break Game 6 on Tuesday. The Panthers, leading the series 3-2, could clinch the Cup on home ice, or the Oilers could push it to Game 7 in Edmonton on Friday. The Oilers lost to the Panthers in Game 7 during the Stanley Cup Final in 2024. 'Now we're in the same position we are in last year, so there's more pressure around it,' said Kyle McDavid. 'At that same time, we've been here before … and we know what to do and we're prepared for this.' She said wives and girlfriends of other Oilers players will be joining her in watching Tuesday's game projected up on a wall at Bar Trove in downtown Edmonton, which she opened earlier this month. Story continues below advertisement She also owns an interior design firm, a furniture showroom and designs clothing for the Oilers. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Kyle McDavid also plans to release a cookbook this summer. She said watching Oilers games with her girlfriends and generally spending time with them helps her get through the pressure of being in the limelight. 'There's misconceptions around being a hockey wife and that's just an easy narrative for people to chime into. People assume that it's really easy. Our husbands are playing hockey, making money,' she said. 'But it's actually very difficult. There's a lot of stress. There is such a strain on your family. Story continues below advertisement 'People don't know about the struggles that are on the inside … I just quiet that noise, because there's a lot more positivity than negativity out there.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "People don't know about the struggles that are on the inside … I just quiet that noise, because there's a lot more positivity than negativity out there." Born in Sudbury, Ont., she said she grew up with two brothers but was never interested in hockey. 'They both played hockey, when they were younger. So I had a little knowledge, but I wasn't really a fan.' Her main interests have been painting, photography, interior design and architecture. 'I grew up always rearranging my room, since I was like five years old.' She names her mother and Martha Stewart as her role models. Story continues below advertisement She studied fine arts at the University of British Columbia then interior design at Ontario's Toronto Metropolitan University. It was around the same time, she said, she was introduced to Connor McDavid by her cousin. 1:10 Oilers captain Connor McDavid gets engaged to longtime girlfriend Lauren Kyle She travelled to Edmonton for the first time to watch him play against the Philadelphia Flyers after he recovered from a fractured collarbone. She didn't know he was 'famous,' she added. As he went on to become the team's captain, she grew her own career. 'I always knew I was going to be an entrepreneur before I even met Connor,' she said. View image in full screen Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid kisses his wife Lauren Kyle during his 1000th point ceremony prior to the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rogers Place on December 5, 2024, in Edmonton. Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images She also became a bigger Oilers fan. Story continues below advertisement 'Watching the person you love play every night … you become a very passionate fan.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Watching the person you love play every night … you become a very passionate fan." She said it has been great to see Edmonton identify around the sport and rally around the team. 'There's a sense of Canadian pride.' After Tuesday's game, she plans to go on a walk with her husband and their dog, Leonard, in the city's lush river valley, like usual. 'We'll usually do a loop around the neighbourhood after games. And then we usually watch a show and we chat.' They talk about their day, the game, what went right and what went wrong. They like to focus on ways of improving, she said, following a piece of advice they were once given. '(We were told) don't be afraid of a massive mistake … just lean into it,'' she said. 'We both are leaders in a sense. He's a captain on his team. I manage different employees. And although our careers are so different, the principles are the same … Mistakes are great. They expose gaps. And then you work on constantly improving and finding gaps.' After the series, the couple plans to spend the summer doing what they usually do: attending weddings, spending time at their cottage in Muskoka, Ont., hosting parties, and playing pickleball, cards and trivia games. Story continues below advertisement 'I'm super competitive. Anyone who knows me would say that about me and Connor,' she said.
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
McDavid talks about Oilers facing possible elimination in Game 6 of Stanley Cup final
Connor McDavid chose his words carefully. The Oilers captain — undoubtedly hockey's best player — had just been asked about the pressure on himself in his team's moment of need. 'That's a pretty heavy question,' McDavid said with Edmonton facing elimination in the Stanley Cup final. 'I don't think about it that way. If you think about it that way, you'd be probably pretty crippled in terms of how you prepare and how you play. 'It's a big game. Everybody knows that. I know that. And I'm looking forward to it.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's a big game. Everybody knows that. I know that. And I'm looking forward to it." That big game comes Tuesday night with the Oilers down 3-2 to the defending champion Florida Panthers in the NHL title series. Edmonton battled hard to get the showcase matchup even at 2-2 with a 5-4 overtime road victory after trailing 3-0 in the first period of Game 4, but then laid an egg at home in Saturday's 5-2 loss to press their collective back against the wall. Story continues below advertisement The Oilers, in short, have no margin for error. 'The Cup will be in the building,' McDavid said of Game 6. 'Those are games that you dream of. Obviously, it's not for us, but any time the Cup's in the building and you're playing, it's a good sign.' Edmonton will need a much better start to make sure hockey's holy grail gets put back in its case and loaded onto a plane for a potential Game 7 in the Alberta capital Friday. Florida, which topped the Oilers in seven in last year's final despite nearly blowing a 3-0 series lead, has outscored Edmonton 11-4 in the first period, including an ugly 7-0 mark over the last three contests. 'It would be nice to go out there and play with the lead,' said Oilers forward Corey Perry, competing in his sixth final. 'That's our goal — to start strong, get that first one and play from there.' Story continues below advertisement McDavid is tied for playoff scoring lead alongside teammate and fellow centre Leon Draisaitl with 33 points, but registered just his first goal of the final with Edmonton down 3-0 in Game 5. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The 28-year-old superstar has seen plenty of Florida captain Aleksander Barkov — a three-time Selke Trophy winner as the league's top defensive forward — in the series after getting another heavy dose last spring. 'It's going to be a tough test,' Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said of again trying to knock off Edmonton's No. 97. 'He's desperate to win a Cup … but so are we.' McDavid skated around a question about his own play when speaking to reporters following Monday's practice in sweltering Florida. 'It's not really about me,' he said. 'It's about us. It's about us trying to get a win here … that's what we're looking forward to. Story continues below advertisement Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse said McDavid's leadership and accountability push the group forward. 'Sets the example,' Nurse said. 'When he speaks up, everyone has a lot of respect because of the amount of work that he puts in. Not only coming rink and preparing practice-wise, but knowing what goes on behind closed doors and the commitment and sacrifice and everything that he does for this game and for this team, it motivates us. Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch, who also had McDavid in junior with the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters, said the Newmarket, Ont., product has been a talent others will follow from the start. 'It was his work ethic, his attention to detail, wanting to be the best player possible,' Knoblauch said of the No. 1 pick at the 2015 NHL draft. 'As he's gotten older, you become more comfortable at being a leader and you build that rapport with all the players. 'He's got so much respect from players because of the acknowledgment of the other players' contributions.' Perry played with McDavid at the world championships for Canada in 2016, but didn't really know him until joining the Oilers last season. Story continues below advertisement 'I was very surprised how outgoing he is in the dressing room, how he's friends with everybody,' said the 40-year-old. 'He's that leader. He has a voice and he uses it when something needs to be said. 'His actions speak louder than words … couldn't ask for a better captain.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "His actions speak louder than words … couldn't ask for a better captain." The Oilers have a well-documented history of bouncing back. They were down 3-2 to the Vancouver Canucks in the second round last spring, trailed the Los Angeles Kings 2-0 to open these playoffs and — of course — nearly pulled off a miraculous Cup final moment 12 months ago. 'For whatever reason, our group doesn't like to make it easy,' McDavid said. 'We've put ourselves in another difficult spot and it's our job to work our way out of it.' Story continues below advertisement The pressure is on.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Future of Sport in Canada Commission opens public survey ahead of summit
The Future of Sport in Canada Commission launched its public survey Monday to gather opinions on safe sport and improving the sport system ahead of its fall summit. Article content Among the first questions posed: Have you witnessed or experienced maltreatment in sport, and how big of a problem do you think maltreatment is in organized sport in Canada? Article content Article content Former Olympic skier Allison Forsyth, a founder of Generation Safe and now safe sport officer for Canada Soccer, says while she believes the commission is doing important work, some survey questions assume a level of experience with the national sport system. Article content Forsyth also asks if the person taking the survey knows the definition of maltreatment under the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport. Article content 'When I'm out here doing my work, there's many people in this country at the grassroots level that don't even know what safe sport means,' Forsyth said. 'The questions in the survey are very good, but very specific. Article content 'If it was sent to the public as their opportunity to contribute to the future of sport in Canada … it doesn't do enough to explain to people the foundation of safe sport, what maltreatment is, and what the universal code of conduct is.' Article content The survey is open until August and can be accessed through the website or the commission's social media posts. Article content She's also worked with provincial, university and club sport organizations in Canada, and wanted those levels to be more represented in the survey questions. Article content Article content 'My education and work is the people that matter the most, which is the children in sport at a grassroots level whose parents are entrusting their club to keep their child safe from maltreatment,' Forsyth said. Article content 'If I was a parent, and I am one of high-level hockey players in the youth programs, would I know any of this? The answer, in my opinion, is no because the universal code of conduct to address maltreatment in sport points back to the federal level of sport.'
