Edmonton Oilers, Connor McDavid Force a Game 6 vs. Florida Panthers

A strong Edmonton Oilers offense has woken up in the last few games of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers. After being shut down for the firs three games of the series, their star Connor McDavid has woken up and helped the team climb back in the series.

After winning 8-1 in Game 4 on their home ice, the Edmonton Oilers kept up their offensive barrage in Game 5. They went into Florida and had another dominating performance, winning 5-3 and stymying a Panthers comeback attempt.

Leading the way for the Oilers was Connor McDavid, who continued his historic postseason performance. Entering Game 5, he had already broken the single-postseason record previously held by Wayne Gretzky with 32 assists.

He would add two more on Tuesday, giving him 34 for the playoffs. He would also net two goals, helping cut the series deficit down to 3-2 and accomplishing what the team’s rallying cry has turned into; dragging the Panthers back to Alberta.

“I love playing in the playoffs,” McDavid said. “It’s been a fun ride. We’re glad it’s going to go one more day, but that’s all we’ve earned. Another day, another flight, and we’ll be ready to go on Friday.”

Connor McDavid now has 42 points in 23 games this postseason. That puts him five points away from tying the record held by Wayne Gretzky from 1985 when he recorded 47 points in 18 games.

“He puts this team on his back,” forward Corey Perry, who scored his first goal of the playoffs on a brilliant McDavid assist in the second period, said of McDavid. “When we’re against the wall, he puts us on his back and he plays. You see why he is the best player in the world.”

While the job is far from done for the Edmonton Oilers, pushing the series to six games after going down 3-0 is an impressive accomplishment. Only three other teams in NHL history trailing 3-0 in the finals were able to get to Game 6. 

The New Jersey Devils in 2012 lost in Game 6. In 1945, the Detroit Red Wings lost in Game 7. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs were able to finish the comeback, winning in seven games. That Maple Leafs team is the only one to ever complete a comeback from a 3-0 deficit in Stanley Cup Finals history.

Will Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers become the second team to do so? Momentum is certainly on their side after two excellent performances, as all the pressure is on the Panthers to close this series out.