Edmonton Oilers one step away from the road to redemption vs. Panthers
The Edmonton Oilers are one step away from finding themselves on the road to redemption following last year's heartbreaking loss in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
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There is just one more detour for them to take first as they look to wrap up the Western Conference final against the Dallas Stars in Game 5 at American Airlines Center on Thursday (6 p.m., CBC, Sportsnet).
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For the Stars, it's been more like a highway to hell as they watched a 1-0 series lead slip with three straight losses, as the Oilers hold a 3-1 death grip on the best-of-seven series.
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And with the way things have shaped up in the Eastern Conference, the Oilers are well on their way to meeting the Florida Panthers in a rematch of last year's championship final.
They just can't get too far ahead of themselves. Not with important business still at hand here in the conference final.
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'I don't even know what's going on in the East,' Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'I know we've got a heck of a series here against Dallas, and we have one more win to get to.
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'If we're fortunate to get that last win, then we'll be preparing for that next team. But right now, all our attention is on the Dallas Stars.'
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At least, it had better be.
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After all, the Oilers know as well as anyone just how much fight a team can find within itself when facing the brink of elimination, having bounced back from a 3-0 deficit to the Panthers to force Game 7 of last year's final round.
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The fact Florida won it 2-1 to hoist the Cup, while the Oilers took the longest — and likely quietest — flight home in Stanley Cup history has only added to their thirst for vengeance in these playoffs.
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'When your back's against the wall, we saw it several times last year, and it brought out the best of our team, playing with a lot of desperation and focus and just laying it on the line every single shift,' Knoblauch said. 'It's important for us. We can't control what the other team's going to do, but what we can control is how we play and how we handle those circumstances. And we know Dallas will come out with a lot of urgency, playing at home and the atmosphere that they have there. We're going to have to be prepared.
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'Certainly, we can't have a start like we did last night. We're very fortunate to survive that and come out of the first period with the lead. But if we play another first period like that, we're probably playing down, and it's pretty tough to overcome that. We're going to have to make sure that we're ready right from the start.'
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