Yes, this is really happening. The Edmonton Oilers, back from the dead, for seemingly the eighth time this season, have forced a seventh game in the Stanley Cup Finals after trailing the series 3-0. It’s the first time since 1945 that such a feat has been accomplished, and now it brings us the ultimate gift in sports, the two best words, game seven. Not just any game seven, but game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals, for all the marbles. This is the first game seven in the final since 2019, when the Blues went into Boston and hammered the Bruins on their own sheet to win it all. But that series was back and forth, this one has taken a wild swing in the opposite direction after the Panthers dominated through three.

Game six of this series will long be remembered as one of the best atmospheres we have seen in a long time. Oilers fans belted out O’ Canada and it felt like the Panthers were playing the entire nation north of the border, not just the Oilers. From their McDavid and company started well, and never looked back in the game, putting together shift after shift of strong play in all three zones. They had been waiting for Leon Draisaitl to breakout in this series, and it didn’t take him long on Friday as he setup Warren Foegele for the opening goal which sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Adam Henrique, who has always been a good playoff performer, chipped in with another goal and made it 2-0. Not long after though, the Panthers finally fought back and got one past Stuart Skinner, but the play was challenged by the Oilers coaching staff. After a lengthy review, the Oilers won the challenge, and the goal was wiped out which seemingly broke the Panthers will. I don’t agree with the ruling, and frankly have never liked the offside challenge as it takes too long and becomes too ticky tack, removing goals from the scoreboard over fractional margins.

From there the lead ballooned to 3-0 and despite Barkov scoring, the Oilers would put it away with a pair of empty netters and the long trip back to Sunrise was booked for Monday night. The Oilers have earned this comeback, playing brilliantly in the last three contests to get the series even. The Panthers yearlong mission to get back to the Finals and finish the job from a year ago now hangs in the balance in front of their fans two nights from now. I don’t want to make assumptions about how game seven will go, but it does feel extremely unlikely that right now that the Panthers can rally themselves to win game seven…the looks on their faces say it all.

One thing is for sure, the season will end, which I say with a heavy heart as the sport I adore is coming to a close. The almost yearlong odyssey of this beautiful and violent game is going to get the sendoff it deserves Monday night, one that the other major North American sports could only dream of. So, sit back, relax (as long as you have no stake in the game), and enjoy the spectacle that these two teams have treated us to.

New Boss in Buckeye Town

We have a change in the front office in Columbus, as the Blue Jackets have hired veteran executive Don Waddell to take over as team President and GM. Waddell comes in after a great run in Carolina, where he put together some well-rounded and deep rosters that made several playoff runs. Now he takes on a much tougher task, getting the Blue Jackets back on their feet. After several successful seasons, they now need to continue this rebuild to return to contention. This market has potential to be very successful for the league, as the Jackets have a real following, but the product on the ice must improve to have real impact. Waddell must first find a coach as he relieved Pascal Vincent of his duties, and then deal with possibly trading much maligned forward Patrik Laine and struggling goalie Elvis Merzlikins.

Trade Winds Blowing East

After seemingly dragging on for over a year, the Devils and Flames finally got a deal done, sending massive goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the Garden State. At 6’6″ and 207 lbs, number 25 takes up a lot of the cage and has enjoyed some wonderful seasons the last few years, despite some rocky times that scared even his most ardent supporters. The Flames got an underwhelming return here to say the least, as all they could net for their star tender is middling defenseman Kevin Bahl and a 2025 first round pick, that is lottery protected. The Devils got the man they have been searching for at a discount, now they need him to live up to the hype and GM Tom Fitzgerald needs to touch up the blue line and bottom six to return this group to true contention. The New York/New Jersey tri-state area surely has the market cornered in goal, with Ilya Sorokin on the Island, Igor Shesterkin in Manhattan and Markstrom in Jersey.

Coaching Carousel

Before we wrap up, I wanted to take a moment to highlight all the coaching changes that have taken place around the league. I have to say, most of them are rather confusing moves as the league is in full recycle mode. The two most intriguing to watch will be Craig Berube in Toronto and Sheldon Keefe in New Jersey. Keep an eye on Drew Bannister in St. Louis as the Blues played well under him after Berube’s dismissal and now he’ll an offseason under his belt to work with a roster that still has plenty of upside.

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