It took a while, but Oilers are masters of the secret playoff formula
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Three shutouts in four games by a team that boasts two Art Ross winners, three 50-goal scorers, three 100-point players and one of the most productive post-season defencemen of all time? That is a deadly mix.
'We're a different team than we have been in years past, probably not as run and gun as years past, but we can play defence,' said Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who has to keep reminding people that this is not a new development.
You don't make it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final unless you've figured out and mastered the art of playoff hockey.
'Forwards are coming back really hard, everyone is selling out blocking shots,' said McDavid. 'It's that time of year, that's what it takes. It's fun to watch.
'And when we defend and everyone is bought in like that, we know we're going to find enough offence somewhere.'
It's not always there in the regular season. The Oilers were a pretty sloppy group this year and the biggest question mark heading into Round 1 was whether they could keep enough pucks out of their net, especially without their best defensive defenceman in the lineup.
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The Province
3 hours ago
- The Province
Edmonton Oilers rise from the dead, breathe life into Stanley Cup Final
Leon Draisaitl #29 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates with Evan Bouchard #2 and Vasily Podkolzin #92 after scoring during overtime to beat the Florida Panthers 5-4 in Game Four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 12, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida. Photo by Mike Carlson / Getty Images Once again, the Edmonton Oilers were pushed to the edge of a deep, dark abyss, one backward step away from another unimaginable plunge. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors In other words, they had the Florida Panthers right where they wanted them. A team that's made a living out of coming back from the dead responded Thursday with its greatest, and most timely, resurrection of the Connor McDavid era. Trailing 2-1 in the Stanley Cup Final and 3-0 in the second period of Game 4, the Oilers rose up with a stunning display of resilience and force that changes the entire complexion of the series. With the while world crashing down on them after a train wreck of a first period, they shook off a seemingly-hopeless deficit, shook off Sam Reinhart's game-tying goal with 20 seconds left in the third period and took down the Panthers 5-4 in overtime. 'You get behind and have to chase it, but we did a great job of putting our heads down and continuing to fight,' said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. 'That's kind of been the M.O. of our group all year, the past few years — not quitting on each other. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We keep coming and coming as much as we can. We did a great job of bearing down and finding a way.' Leon Draisaitl's one-handed shovel toward the Florida goal at 11:18 found its way in for an NHL-record fourth overtime goal of the playoffs. Mr. Clutch did it again. 'He's a horse out there for us, always,' said Nugent-Hopkins. 'It's constant, it's consistent. We always can lean on him and he always finds a way to get those big ones.' And now, a series that was 40 minutes away from slipping away for good is now Edmonton's to lose — a best of three with two games in Rogers Place. 'We were able to get a little confidence and some belief that we can do this,' said head coach Kris Knoblauch. 'After the way Game 3 went, and the way the first period tonight went, a lot of teams probably don't find a way to rebound. A lot of credit to these guys. I'm very proud of them. I loved the effort.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Oilers were determined to make their stand, avenging their embarrassing 6-1 loss in Game 3 and proving they are strong enough to dethrone the Panthers. Instead, they came out and did the EXACT same things that buried them in Game 3. Once again, they couldn't match Florida's speed and intensity out of the gate and once again they made a bad situation worse by wearing out a path to the penalty box and caving in on the penalty kill. Stuart Skinner made some monster saves in the opening 10 minutes and kept his flustered teammates in the game while they were being outshot 10-2, but the Oilers seemed bent on handing Game 4 to the defending champions. Evander Kane (high-sticking) and Darnell Nurse (tripping) took careless penalties a minute apart at 10:38 and 11:36 and Matthew Tkachuk made it 1-0 on the ensuing five-on-three. Then Mattias Ekholm took another high-sticking penalty at 15:18 and Tkachuk made it 2-0. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The roof was coming down on Edmonton and it only got worse when both referees missed Carter Verhaeghe's high stick on Troy Stecher, a play that should have been whistled down seconds before Anton Lundell made it 3-0 in the final minute of the first period. The Oilers had reason to be angry, but they were also getting crushed out there, outshot 17-7 with the high-danger chances at 13-1 at the first intermission. It was over. The Oilers were done. Except the Oilers are never done until they're actually done. 'We kind of unravelled and what I noticed was a bunch of leaders in the room,' said defenceman Jake Walman. '(Corey) Perry gave us a little speech and a couple of other guys spoke up. The quiet confidence that we have in our room, even down 3-0, to turn that game around shows a lot about our group. I don't think we're ever out of the game.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. With Calvin Pickard starting the second period in goal in place of Skinner, the Oilers launched yet another improbable recovery. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a power-play goal at 3:33, Darnell Nurse roofed one at 12:47, Vasily Podkolzin tied it at 15:05. And when Jake Walman scored with 6:26 to go in regulation, a comeback for the ages was complete. Reinhart's goal could have broken them, but the Oilers weren't going to be denied. 'We believe that no matter how bad it is, if we get over that hump of adversity we're going to keep pushing, we're going to keep coming and eventually it will break,' said Draisaitl. 'We don't want to be in these situations too many times, but when they happen we're great at it.' The Oilers are now 10-0 in Game 4s over the last three seasons and 19-2 in Games 4 through 7 of a playoff series over the last two years. E-mail: rtychkowski@ News Soccer Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks Local News
Toronto Star
3 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Goaltender Calvin Pickard again steps up for Oilers at crunch time
SUNRISE - Calvin Pickard had yet to see much action. The Oilers goaltender entered the fray after Thursday's disastrous first period where his team failed to meet the moment and left Stuart Skinner hung out to dry down 3-0 to the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final. Edmonton clawed back within two early in the second period on a power-play goal off the stick of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Pickard then — almost out of nowhere — was forced to make a save that will be remembered for a long time if the Oilers end up hoisting their sixth championship. The former journeyman netminder denied Anton Lundell on that breakaway after defenceman Jake Walman turned the puck over to keep the score at 3-1 before making a number of huge stops that set the stage for Leon Draisaitl's overtime winner as Edmonton defeated Florida 5-4 to even the best-of-seven title series 2-2. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Gets you feeling better,' Pickard said of that save on Lundell. 'After that it was pretty steady. They had some looks, but we had a ton of looks too and our resolve was fantastic.' The 33-year-old has bailed the Oilers out before this spring. Pickard replaced a shaky Skinner in the first round of the playoffs with Edmonton down 2-0 to the Los Angeles Kings. He won his next six starts — with plenty of goal support from a high-flying roster led by Draisaitl and Connor McDavid — before getting hurt in Game 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights. 'When I got hurt, it was frustrating,' Pickard said. 'Things were going pretty well, and then (Skinner) hopped in there and played great. I felt for him … he came ready to play (Thursday), made some big saves early. We just didn't have it as a team early. 'If he was playing behind our team in the second and third and overtime, he would've done what I did.' What the Moncton, N.B., product did was pretty impressive. After that stop by Pickard on Lundell, the Oilers made it 3-2 on a terrific shot upstairs from Darnell Nurse before Vasily Podkolzin tied things. Pickard was there to deny an Evan Rodrigues redirection late in the second and again on an Aaron Ekblad power-play chance before the intermission. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Unbelievable,' Nugent-Hopkins said. 'Outstanding to be able to come in off the bench, make some massive saves in huge times.' Walman gave Edmonton a 4-3 lead with under seven minutes to go in the third, but Sam Reinhart forced OT when he scored with 19.5 seconds left in regulation. Pickard, however, saved his best for the extra period when he got enough of Sam Bennett's shot with his glove to deflect it off the crossbar. 'Read it pretty well,' he said of the sequence. 'And then I looked in my glove and it wasn't in there … heard the crowd oohing and ahhing. 'It was a good bounce, and then we got one.' That came later in OT when Draisaitl's effort from tight found its way past Sergei Bobrovsky. The Oilers, however, wouldn't have been there if not for Pickard. 'It's hard to describe the situation that he gets put in,' said Draisaitl, whose team will host Game 5 on Saturday at what will be an incandescent Rogers Place. 'We're down 3-0. He's coming in, he's cold. It's not easy and he makes those stops at the key moments that we really need them. He's one of the best in the league at making the right save at the right time. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'He's been nothing but spectacular for us.' Head coach Kris Knoblauch said the move to Pickard wasn't about Skinner's play. 'Our team was flat,' he said. 'We needed to change things up.' Only the sixth goaltender in NHL history to win a Cup final game in relief, Pickard has only played 184 regular-season games for six different NHL teams since being selected in the second round of the 2010 draft by the Colorado Avalanche. 'He's been a journeyman goalie,' Knoblauch said. 'He's been through it all, and right now he's been enjoying the ride. The ride last year of just becoming a regular NHL goaltender again and then obviously getting as many starts as he's been getting, and he's earned them. 'I'm not giving him any starts. He's deserved them.' There's likely another one coming this weekend. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Goaltender Calvin Pickard again steps up for Oilers at crunch time
SUNRISE – Calvin Pickard had yet to see much action. The Oilers goaltender entered the fray after Thursday's disastrous first period where his team failed to meet the moment and left Stuart Skinner hung out to dry down 3-0 to the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final. Edmonton clawed back within two early in the second period on a power-play goal off the stick of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Pickard then — almost out of nowhere — was forced to make a save that will be remembered for a long time if the Oilers end up hoisting their sixth championship. The former journeyman netminder denied Anton Lundell on that breakaway after defenceman Jake Walman turned the puck over to keep the score at 3-1 before making a number of huge stops that set the stage for Leon Draisaitl's overtime winner as Edmonton defeated Florida 5-4 to even the best-of-seven title series 2-2. 'Gets you feeling better,' Pickard said of that save on Lundell. 'After that it was pretty steady. They had some looks, but we had a ton of looks too and our resolve was fantastic.' The 33-year-old has bailed the Oilers out before this spring. Pickard replaced a shaky Skinner in the first round of the playoffs with Edmonton down 2-0 to the Los Angeles Kings. He won his next six starts — with plenty of goal support from a high-flying roster led by Draisaitl and Connor McDavid — before getting hurt in Game 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights. 'When I got hurt, it was frustrating,' Pickard said. 'Things were going pretty well, and then (Skinner) hopped in there and played great. I felt for him … he came ready to play (Thursday), made some big saves early. We just didn't have it as a team early. 'If he was playing behind our team in the second and third and overtime, he would've done what I did.' What the Moncton, N.B., product did was pretty impressive. After that stop by Pickard on Lundell, the Oilers made it 3-2 on a terrific shot upstairs from Darnell Nurse before Vasily Podkolzin tied things. Pickard was there to deny an Evan Rodrigues redirection late in the second and again on an Aaron Ekblad power-play chance before the intermission. 'Unbelievable,' Nugent-Hopkins said. 'Outstanding to be able to come in off the bench, make some massive saves in huge times.' Walman gave Edmonton a 4-3 lead with under seven minutes to go in the third, but Sam Reinhart forced OT when he scored with 19.5 seconds left in regulation. Pickard, however, saved his best for the extra period when he got enough of Sam Bennett's shot with his glove to deflect it off the crossbar. 'Read it pretty well,' he said of the sequence. 'And then I looked in my glove and it wasn't in there … heard the crowd oohing and ahhing. 'It was a good bounce, and then we got one.' That came later in OT when Draisaitl's effort from tight found its way past Sergei Bobrovsky. The Oilers, however, wouldn't have been there if not for Pickard. 'It's hard to describe the situation that he gets put in,' said Draisaitl, whose team will host Game 5 on Saturday at what will be an incandescent Rogers Place. 'We're down 3-0. He's coming in, he's cold. It's not easy and he makes those stops at the key moments that we really need them. He's one of the best in the league at making the right save at the right time. 'He's been nothing but spectacular for us.' Head coach Kris Knoblauch said the move to Pickard wasn't about Skinner's play. 'Our team was flat,' he said. 'We needed to change things up.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Only the sixth goaltender in NHL history to win a Cup final game in relief, Pickard has only played 184 regular-season games for six different NHL teams since being selected in the second round of the 2010 draft by the Colorado Avalanche. 'He's been a journeyman goalie,' Knoblauch said. 'He's been through it all, and right now he's been enjoying the ride. The ride last year of just becoming a regular NHL goaltender again and then obviously getting as many starts as he's been getting, and he's earned them. 'I'm not giving him any starts. He's deserved them.' There's likely another one coming this weekend. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025.
