On a night when everything the Edmonton Oilers had worked for since Connor McDavid arrived nine years ago hinged on a must-win home game, the team showed their resilience.
Just as they had in overcoming 2-1 and 3-2 series deficits against Vancouver, the Oilers rallied to avoid the brink of elimination set up by Dallas on Wednesday night.
Trailing 2-0 before their first shot on goal, the Oilers came alive with four consecutive goals before the second intermission, securing a season-saving 5-2 victory and turning the Western Conference Final into a best-of-three series.
“We knew we were a bit sluggish for a couple of minutes and maybe a little unlucky, but we found our legs, got going, and started to play our game,” said Leon Draisaitl. “We’re tough to handle when we play that way.”
Though it wasn’t an elimination game, losing would have almost guaranteed their exit. The Oilers, however, thrive in such situations, improving to 5-1 in games following a loss this postseason. Overcoming a 2-1 series deficit and a 2-0 game deficit showcased their mental toughness.
“They’re a great team, and they’re going to grab momentum at times,” forward Connor Brown said of the Stars. “It’s about how we respond to regain it. Our guys jumped over the boards, trying to get the momentum back.
“We faced adversity all year, starting from being in dead last. Now, we thrive under that adversity, welcoming it and showing it when we need a response.”
While Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and Evan Bouchard played key roles, it was the supporting cast that shifted the game. Ryan McLeod’s first playoff goal got Edmonton back into the game, and Mattias Janmark’s shorthanded goal in the second period turned the tide for good.
“I thought it was going to be a long night,” joked Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch, noting the team’s sluggish start without a shot until the eight-minute mark. “Things weren’t going our way. But we’ve seen this series swing back and forth with both teams dominating at different times. Down 2-0 in a game like this is hard to overcome, but we got back to playing our way.”
Knoblauch acknowledged they couldn’t afford more starts like that. “Down 2-0, I’m not sure how many times we can pull that off.”
With their backs against the wall, everyone expected Edmonton to start fiercely. Instead, they looked nervous and tentative, nearly costing them the series. They conceded a goal on the first Dallas shot at 58 seconds and another at 5:29. They weren’t hitting or completing passes, looking outmatched.
“It’s funny how psychology works in the playoffs,” said Janmark, whose shorthanded goal was the game-winner. “We had a flat start, but after their second goal, we said, ‘We’ve been in this position before, let’s flip the script.’”
In desperate pre-game lineup changes, Knoblauch inserted 22-year-old defenseman Philip Broberg and pulled McLeod and Corey Perry from the press box, placing them on the second line.
When your second line includes two players without a single playoff point, it usually signals trouble. But in a postseason where everything Knoblauch touches turns to gold, McLeod’s goal at 13:30, assisted by Perry, sparked the comeback, reviving the stunned crowd.
“Credit to the guys, it’s not easy to move from the press box to the second line,” said Brown. “But they did an unbelievable job. That line was our best tonight. When you get that trust from your coach, it empowers you.”
Three minutes later, Bouchard scored off a McDavid rebound, putting the Oilers back in the game. Edmonton’s penalty kill, a standout in the playoffs, turned the game by not only killing their 22nd and 23rd consecutive penalties but also scoring the shorthanded goal to make it 3-2. Janmark converted a two-on-one pass from Brown, a play McDavid and Draisaitl couldn’t have done better.
When Draisaitl scored 51 seconds later to make it 4-2 and Mattias Ekholm added an empty-netter, Edmonton’s first third-period goal of the series, the win was sealed.
Suddenly, the Oilers went from facing elimination in five games to being legitimate Stanley Cup contenders again.
“Every win gives you more belief, but every team still playing at this time of year has a lot of belief,” said Draisaitl. “We know how good we can be. When we put everything together, we’re a really hard team to beat.”
