It’s do-or-die for the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday — and the Stanley Cup is on the line.
Hours before Game 4 puck-drop against the Florida Panthers, nine-year-old Edmontonian Brett Hayes, sporting a No. 97 Connor McDavid jersey, had four simple words for the Oilers’ captain.
“Be the greatest player.”
The Oilers, down 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, have a second chance to win on home ice during the Stanley Cup final. The game starts at 6 p.m. MT, and will be broadcast on CBC.
A Game 4 win would fend off the Panthers from attaining their first ever Stanley Cup for at least one more game.
It would also be the first step toward achieving something only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs have accomplished: hoisting Lord Stanley’s mug after losing the first three games of the final.
“We’ve got to get ready for a game, get ready for Game 4 and get a win — that’s all we can do,” said McDavid on Thursday after Game 3.
Three generations of the Gautreau family travelled overnight to Edmonton from Shediac, a coastal town in southeastern New Brunswick, to root for the Oilers in Game 4.
Daniel Gautreau, a lifelong Montreal Canadiens fan, has put his allegiance aside so his seven-year-old grandson Max, an Oilers fan, can watch his favourite team.
“I feel so blessed being able to come here with you guys,” Gautreau said. His son Remi — Max’s father — is with them too.
“It’s a dream come true. So, go Oilers! Go!”
The family, as well as their friend Donny Brau, an Oilers fan who tagged along with them to Edmonton, have already booked their tickets to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in hopes there is a Game 5.
Kevin Genge’s daughter flew in from New York to watch the game with him tonight. Genge has been a fan since the very beginning. For him, tonight is a chance to see another Oilers victory.
“This is it. This is the excitement I was wanting. I was here when they won their first cup. I was here in ’88 … and I think I deserve to see another great ending. So that’s a win tonight. That’s a Father’s Day win.”
Panthers fans Chris and Shawn O’Connor said travelling from Florida to Edmonton felt like a journey to the moon with all the rain in Florida. One train and two airplane rides later, they made it to Game 3 with an hour to spare.
Ahead of tonight’s game, they’re hoping to see their team lift the cup.
“They’re putting in the effort,” Chris said. “They’ve worn teams down in the first three rounds and they don’t change. They play the same game no matter what you throw at them. They play their game — which I think is a big thing.”
“Not to be greedy. But you know, it would be great to see the cup on the ice tonight.”
Despite the odds being against the Oilers, the team has not given up hope.
“Two of the three games probably could have went either way,” said Leon Draisaitl, after Thursday’s loss. “We could be up 2-1 right now, but that’s not the case. It’s not how this league or how this sport works, unfortunately.
“We’ve just got to find a way to dig ourselves out.”
Oilers fans say they aren’t giving up hope, even though Florida Panthers have a 3-0 series lead after winning Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final at Rogers Place Thursday night. Some are hoping the Oilers skilled forwards can break the great wall of Bobrovsky.
On Saturday, veteran Corey Perry reiterated that the team can’t look beyond what’s in front of them.
“If you start looking too far ahead, it’s a daunting task,” said Perry, one of only five Oilers players with previous Stanley Cup final experience. He won the trophy in 2007 and has since appeared in multiple finals.
“[Florida is] a great team. We know that. But you start with one period, one game — and you work your way from one.”
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch is confident with his boys, describing them as resilient, persevering and focused.
“It’s going to be a challenge. But if there’s a team that can do it — if there’s a group of men that I want to do this with — it’s the guys in that room,” Knoblauch told reporters Saturday.
“I’m really excited for the next 10 days.”
Music superstar Shania Twain fired up the crowd outside Rogers Place prior to Game 4 on Saturday night and started a “We want the Cup!” chant among Oilers fans.
It would take the team pulling off a comeback not made in the final since 1942 — the only time in NHL history it has happened at this stage and on only four previous occasions any time in the playoffs.
“How you guys feeling Edmonton?” Twain said between songs. “We are in the spirit of the Stanley Cup right here in Edmonton!”
Kailan Tremoyne arrived at 7:45 a.m. to score the first spot in line.
“I wanted to be the first here,” he said, adding it’s his second time ever attending a concert.
“I think Shania is going to bring the crowd together for the Oilers.”
- How are you planning to watch the Oilers game? Let us know in an email to ask@cbc.ca.
The last time the Oilers were in the Stanley Cup final was 2006, when a game win saw thousands of fans spill into Whyte Avenue and riot. Oilers ultimately lost the series in Game 7 to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Edmonton police Chief Dale McFee, during an unrelated media event Thursday, said there will be a strong police presence to handle the Stanley Cup crowds.
“We’re optimistic that people are going to behave and if they don’t, then we’ll deal with it accordingly,” McFee said. “But we will definitely have a strong, visible presence.”
CBC Alberta will be broadcasting the Stanley Cup final action live. The excitement will also be delivered on CBC Edmonton’s TikTok account, @cbcedmonton.