The Edmonton Oilers have won their third game in a row in the NHL finals and evened the series against the Florida Panthers. Leon Draisaitl initiates the victory and is proud.
After a historic comeback, ice hockey star Leon Draisaitl and his Edmonton Oilers are heading to a showdown in Florida. “This is obviously an incredible story. But at the end of the day, it’s about winning the title. I’m very proud that we’ve given ourselves this opportunity,” said Draisaitl.
On Saturday night, Edmonton won game six of the North American NHL playoff finals 5-1, becoming the third team in NHL history to recover from a 0-3 deficit in the series. Four wins are needed to win the Stanley Cup. The decision will therefore be made on Tuesday night (CEST). However, the Florida Panthers will then have home advantage again.
“The Panthers are playing at home and will demand everything from us. We have to bring our best performance onto the ice again. We are aware of that,” said Draisaitl. If it works out, a team from Canada would win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993.
Last time the team won the title after being 3-0 down was in 1942
“We’ve had a winning streak this year when we needed to. We believe in ourselves. And that unwavering belief is growing,” said Edmonton striker Connor Brown. The last time such a comeback miracle occurred in the NHL was in 1942 when the Toronto Maple Leafs won the title.
The Oilers dominated game six from the start and recorded a shot ratio of 11:2 in the first period. One of these shots found its way into the opponent’s goal: After a strong pass from Draisaitl, Warren Foegele scored the 1:0 (7th). For the German, it was already the 21st assist in the current playoffs. However, the Edmonton superstar remained without a goal, as in the two previous victories.
After just 46 seconds of play in the second period, Edmonton extended their lead through Adam Henrique (21st). The Panthers’ quick goal just ten seconds later was disallowed after the referee examined the video because Sam Reinhart was a few centimeters offside.
Oilers score two goals in twelve seconds
Florida was unable to reward itself for its period of pressure afterwards either – unlike the Oilers. Zach Hyman made it 3-0 just before the second break (39th minute). The third period was similar to the second: Florida ran, Edmonton defended strongly and was able to rely on goalkeeper Stuart Skinner. He only had to reach behind him once when Aleksander Barkov scored to make it 1-3 (42nd minute).
Three minutes before the end, the Panthers took goalkeeper Sergej Brobovsky off the ice. The Oilers took advantage of this and scored goals within twelve seconds through Ryan McLeod (57th) and Darnell Nurse (57th) – there was celebration at Rogers Place in Edmonton. “The support of our fans is fantastic. Giving them this victory is something very special. Hopefully we can now do the job for them completely,” said Draisaitl.
The Oilers won their fifth and last Stanley Cup in 1990; it would be Florida’s first ever win.
NHL.com
Source: Stern
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