The Oilers have played all but one game in their 2023–24 season, the most important one of them all. Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final is set for Monday night, mere days before the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and the official start of the offseason. Three times the Florida Panthers have buckled with the Cup in the building, a pressure the Oilers will now face, a win away from eternal glory. One game will decide the fate of the Stanley Cup. This is the ultimate showdown.
As such, how this season is remembered is still to be decided, impacting the legacies of all involved on either team. Despite this, the Oilers have already shown a tremendous amount of skill and will to make it to this point. Regardless of how game 7 unfolds, all those across Oil Country, the Oilers themselves included, must hold true to themselves one last time. The finishing touch on 2023–24 comes from the path the Oilers took in forging their identity.
What we do know
The Oilers came into the season as a Cup favourite, a popular choice last summer. Several players came to Edmonton even prior to the captain’s skates, an informal annual precursor to Oilers training camp. Former coach Jay Woodcroft expressed a team cohesion that Mattias Ekholm had stressed months prior, after being eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights last season. Resilience.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly until disaster struck. It wasn’t two months until Woodcroft was fired, Jack Campbell and Philip Broberg demoted, and the Oilers floundered to the bottom of the standings amongst the likes of the true rebuilders of the league. Though the defence and goaltending were trapped in a worrisome whodunnit of ineffectiveness, the Oilers still seemed more unlucky than bad. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl encouraged each other on the bench, the sign the team still had fight. Of course, with Kris Knoblauch behind the bench it all turned around. The Oilers gazed into the abyss and fought their way back to the top end of the standings. Resilience.
Even through this magical playoff run, the Oilers have had their mettle tested. The series against the Vancouver Canucks saw the Oilers fight back from a 3-2 series deficit, while the team came back from down 2-1 in the series to the Dallas Stars following that. With key players like Stuart Skinner and Darnell Nurse under fire, the Oilers have continued to see players step up as the playoffs progressed.
And now, after being down 3 games to 0 against the Panthers, that very same resilience is showing. Much like early in the season, the Oilers were not thoroughly outclassed early in the series, more unlucky than bad. Just as it has, the echoes of resilience continued. The Oilers stuck to their plan, emboldened by the defensive team identity they have forged together around McDavid and Draisaitl.
Depth and role definition
Finally, the team has reached this point by forging this defensive identity. McDavid and Draisaitl have always been outstanding enough, but slowly through the Ken Holland years the team has become good in its own right. The strength on the penalty kill is a perfect example of this buy in from the players, to the very top of the Oilers hockey operations Jeff Jackson.
It’s true that the Oilers don’t have a perfect roster. The Dallas Stars or Florida Panthers might have more scoring depth outright, but the Oilers depth is more tailored to their roster needs. There might have been flashier scorers available at the trade deadline, but Adam Henrique has been crucial as a forward who can contribute in any position or situation. The same might be said about 4th liners and Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark, leading the charge on the penalty kill. To an extent one might say the same for Calvin Pickard as a backup goalie. Through unity and belief in team concept the Oilers have bought in down to the last minute.
Theoretically, an overpowering offensive team might be able to steamroll the competition, but in practice such teams are nearly impossible to build. The tried and true method to victory in the NHL is to play sound defence, to eliminate the chance of beating oneself. For years the Oilers had been moving in this direction, tailoring their roster to support their elite offensive talent. As steadfast as ever, have become an elite defensive team, together.
Certainly there have been some McDavid magical moments in his all time playoff performance. Even a down series for Draisaitl has left him not far behind. Evan Bouchard and Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Mattias Ekholm, there have been outstanding individual performances, but there is more to the Oilers than their star players. Look no further than the Oilers 5-1 win in game 6, where McDavid was held without a point or a shot. The Oilers are a good team.
Momentum
Winners of 3 in a row, the Oilers have all the momentum, perhaps even more than the Panthers did before game 4. The Oilers have been the better team through 6 games, and only appear to be gaining steam. Elite workers McDavid and Hyman seem to be maintaining their conditioning, winning more races as the series goes. Bouchard is looking strong, even throwing punishing hits along the boards. Connor Brown is continuing to play his best hockey as an Oiler, regaining the explosiveness that have made him an offensive threat in the past.
Though the Oilers must look to continue out working the Panthers, suffocating their confidence, it might not matter heading into game 7. What we have learned about the Oilers is that they will put their best effort forward. Even if the Oilers fall into an early deficit, they will find success through sticking to their identity. Chances are, they might have to once more. The Panthers will bring their best, both teams without a proverbial tomorrow. A single bounce might separate the thrill of victory from the agony of defeat.
