Wednesday night time’s Recreation 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals not solely met the hype of the extremely anticipated Edmonton/Florida rematch, nevertheless it exceeded it.
Leon Draisaitl gave the Oilers a 1-0 sequence lead off a power-play objective with a bit of greater than thirty seconds remaining within the first extra time interval, ending off a comeback for an Edmonton group that was dealing with a 3-1 deficit two minutes into the second interval.
The Oilers have had 4 comeback wins from down a number of objectives within the third interval this postseason, beating out the 1987-88 group, which had three 1+ objective third-period comebacks en path to a Stanley Cup.
Twelve different groups have additionally achieved this feat, together with, most just lately, this yr’s Dallas Stars. However solely 4 groups have performed it 5 occasions within the playoffs.
With that in thoughts, right here’s a glance again at Edmonton’s three earlier comeback wins in these playoffs.
Spherical 1, Recreation 4 vs Kings
In Recreation 4 of the Oilers’ earlier ‘rematch’ sequence this playoffs, Edmonton entered the third interval down 3-1, and Los Angeles had a powerful likelihood to place their perennial boogeymen down 3-1 within the sequence rating as effectively.
The Kings received their first objective from ahead Trevor Moore at 10:35 of the primary interval. Then within the second, they received one other from Warren Foegele. The Oilers’ Corey Perry minimize into the lead with a power-play objective three minutes after Foegele’s, however three minutes after that, Los Angeles struck once more with a objective from Kevin Fiala.
Edmonton, down two, began the third interval on hearth, out-shooting the Kings 6-3 earlier than discovering a objective.
In a frantic sequence eight minutes into the interval, Drasaitl despatched a shot in the direction of the web, which was blocked by the skate of Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty.
Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard skated his method in the direction of Doughty, gathering the awkward rebound and shortly firing it previous Darcy Kuemper’s glove earlier than the goalie may even discover to chop the Kings’ lead in half.
With an additional attacker within the closing minute of regulation, the Oilers discovered a objective from Bouchard, as soon as once more arrange by Draisaitl. With Bouchard roaming up close to the blue line, Draisaitl cycled it again over to the defenseman, and he fired it, this time squeezing it previous Kuemper’s stick.
In extra time, each groups traded probabilities for the higher a part of 19 minutes earlier than Draisaitl despatched in a rebound from a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins shot to offer Edmonton the win.
The Oilers would win one other two straight after tying the sequence to maneuver on to the second spherical.
Spherical 2, Recreation 1 vs Golden Knights
In Recreation 1 of Edmonton’s second-round sequence in opposition to Las Vegas, they as soon as once more discovered themselves in an enormous gap within the third interval.
Golden Knights captain Mark Stone began the sport off with a objective off a deflection two minutes into the primary interval. Stone added one other off a wrister seven minutes later to offer Vegas a 2-0 lead.
As Perry had performed in Recreation 4 in opposition to the Kings, he halved the lead with a wrister at 16:26 of the primary.
The Oilers couldn’t convert on any of their 12 photographs within the second interval. In addition they wasted two power-play alternatives previous the midway level of the center interval.
However as soon as the ultimate interval of regulation started, it took lower than a minute for Draisaitl to seek out an equalizer off a backhand shot. McDavid fired a shot from method down close to the blue line, which was deflected up into the air by the stick of Vegas’ Tanner Pearson.
Knights goalie Adin Hill reached up into the air to attempt to seize the puck, however despatched it down in the direction of the ice, the place Draisaitl collected it and fired it into the web.
Then, Edmonton ahead Zach Hyman received the lead for the Oilers off a snap shot with a bit of beneath 4 minutes in regulation. Connor Brown put the exclamation level on Edmonton’s win with a wrister on the 18:14 mark of the sport.
Spherical 2, Recreation 2 vs Golden Knights
Two days later, the Oilers discovered themselves in an analogous scenario. This time, they began with an enormous lead, which they misplaced, however ultimately regained in extra time.
The sport started with a 1-0 Vegas lead from a Victor Olofsson snapshot early that sailed into the precise nook above Calvin Pickard’s blocker within the first interval.
Within the second interval, Edmonton received an avalanche of objectives first from Jake Walman, then Vasily Podkolzin, and Darnell Nurse.
From there, with a 3-1 lead on the scoreboard, the Oilers type of fell asleep. Knights ahead William Karlsson minimize Edmonton’s lead in half with a tip-in late within the second. Evander Kane put the Oilers again up two early within the third, however then Edmonton allowed two objectives from Vegas, first from Olofsson once more, after which Alex Pietrangelo.
Regardless of just a few stable probabilities for each groups within the closing interval of regulation, the sport headed into extra time.
With 5 minutes left within the additional interval an analogous story performed out once more a wrister from Draisaitl, assisted by McDavid and Perry, gained the sport for Edmonton.
Recreation 2 represented the Golden Knights greatest likelihood to offer themselves an actual shot on the sequence however their comeback was met with one other comeback from the Oilers.
