The Stanley Cup will likely be hoisted in South Florida on Monday evening with both rat-loving Panthers followers celebrating their first title or Edmonton Oilers devoted toasting the prized trophy’s long-awaited return to Canada.
Edmonton is looking for to turn out to be solely the fifth staff in NHL historical past to rally from a 3-0 collection deficit after they take the ice at Amerant Financial institution Area in Dawn, Florida.
Oilers and Panthers meet in Recreation 7 of the Stanley Cup finals
- Protection on ABC begins at 8 p.m. EDT
- Edmonton appears to turn out to be the fifth NHL staff ever to come back again all the way in which from a 3-0 playoff collection deficit.
- Oddsmakers have pegged the sport as a digital tossup regardless of Florida having fun with home-ice benefit.
- Oilers participant to look at: Connor McDavid in some way did not even register a shot on aim in his staff’s 5-1 win in Recreation 6.
- Panthers participant to look at: Sergei Bobrovsky gave up 4 objectives in 86 pictures (.953 save share) in Video games 1-3; has surrendered 12 in 58 (.793) in Video games 4-6.
Simply 1 1/2 weeks in the past, the Panthers appeared invincible, following their 4-3 victory at Edmonton in Recreation 3, giving them a 3-0 collection lead.
The high-power Oilers, who scored the fourth most objectives in hockey this previous common season, had solely put 4 pucks previous Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky in these first three video games.
However these first three contests have regarded nothing like Video games 4, 5 and 6 as Edmonton has run roughshod over Florida, scoring 18 to power this decisive sport.
5 groups have rallied from a 3-0 gap to win a best-of-7 playoff collection in NHL historical past: The Toronto Maple Leafs (1942), New York Islanders (1975), Philadelphia Flyers (2010) and Los Angeles Kings (2014). The Leafs’ feat got here in that yr’s Stanley Cup finals.
But when historical past is any decide, any momentum gained from wins in Video games 4-6 usually ends when the puck drops in Recreation 7. Whereas 4 groups have come again from a 3-0 deficit, 5 different 0-3 squads have compelled a Recreation 7 solely to lose the winner-take-off contest.
The Detroit Pink Wings (2011, 1945), Chicago Blackhawks (2011), the Islanders (1975) and New York Rangers (1939) all gallantly fought again earlier than dropping a Recreation 7. The 1975 Islanders pulled the 3-0 miracle in a quarterfinal collection towards the Pittsburgh Penguins and almost pulled off the identical feat within the semifinals towards the Philadelphia Flyers earlier than falling in Recreation 7.
An Edmonton win on Monday evening would convey the Stanley Cup dwelling to Canada for the primary time since 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens received all of it.
A Canadian staff has made the Stanley Cup closing six instances because the 1993 Habs, solely to fall quick towards a U.S.-based membership.
Panthers followers, armed with toy rats, hope to maintain Canada’s Cup-less streak going for no less than another yr. Florida final got here this near lifting Lord Stanley’s famed chalice in 1996, making the Stanley Cup finals earlier than shedding to the Colorado Avalanche.
Earlier that season, Panthers ahead Scott Mellanby killed a rat in Florida’s dressing room after which scored two objectives later that evening. The rat grew to become a logo of the staff as Florida made it to the Cup closing in 1996, which was coincidentally the lunar yr of the rat.