Down In A Hole

I'm not here to throw any additional pressure on the Edmonton Oilers, but they're currently in one heck of a hole when it comes to winning the Stanley Cup. Down 3-0 against the Florida Panthers, someone better figure out how the Oilers can dig themselves out of this hole in which they're sitting. While Alice In Chains sang the song "Down in a Hole", the Oilers are living that reality right now and looking like they have no clue on how to get out of it. We know the Stanley Cup will be awarded by June 24 if this series somehow goes the distance, but this series may not get past Saturday night.

Let's get the obvious numbers out of the way: the Florida Panthers sit one win away from a major parade in Sunrise, and the Oilers sit on the wrong side of history here. Only four times have teams rallied to win a series when down 3-0 in that series as the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, the 1975 New York Islanders, the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers, and the 2014 Los Angeles Kings are those teams. The 2024 Oilers could be the fifth team, but they'd be the second team to rally to win in the Stanley Cup Final if they succeed, joining the 1942 Maple Leafs who only needed eight wins to hoist the Stanley Cup.

If you're a fan of the Oilers, though, you might want to look to December for inspiration. The Oilers had just dropped their third game in a row on December 19 and were looking to reverse their fortunes. They had dropped a 7-4 decision to the Tampa Bay Lightning at home on December 14, saw the Florida Panthers win 5-1 in Edmonton, and lost 3-1 to the New York Islanders on December 19 that left them at 13-15-1 on the season. Something needed to change as they arrived in Newark, New Jersey to face the Devils.

One month and six days later, the Oilers were 29-15-1 as they went on a wild ride with a 16-game winning streak that nearly tied an NHL record. No one is looking for that kind of magic at this point in the season, but Oilers fans are hoping for a quarter of that magic in winning four games in a row.

I'll be honest in saying that no one likes a sweep in a final. You want the two teams to come in hungry, find ways to score goals, make some big plays, and battle down to the final moments before a winner is crowned. Sweeps are anti-climactic. You want to see the two teams who have prevailed over all others in an epic battle, but we seem to be getting a lesson in how to smother one of the best offensive players in the game as the Panthers have used the Canucks' advice to slow McDavid by committee through the first three games.

The Oilers, meanwhile, have to find some of that depth scoring that helped them put together the 16-game run through December and January. Whether Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evander Kane, Adam Henrique, or Darnell Nurse steps up, someone has to grab the reins while McDavid, Draisaitl, and Hymen are stifled by the Panthers. It won't be easy as this Panthers team is deep and talented, but someone has to break through for the City of Champions.

If there's one thing that should be remembered before Game Four, it's that nothing is over until the final whistle goes. As long as the Oilers still have some fight in them, we may see this series get back to Sunrise for Game Five. Any comeback starts with one win, and the Oilers need that effort in a big way tomorrow. Otherwise, all that dirt they moved in digging the hole they're in will be dumped on top of them as their season ends.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!