Oilers erase 3-0 Stanley Cup Final series deficit and force a Game 7 vs. Panthers

The 2024 Stanley Cup Final was once a 3-0 series. Now, it’s going to a Game 7.

The Edmonton Oilers won a third straight elimination game over the Florida Panthers on Friday to even up series at 3-3 and force a Game 7. The Oilers took Game 6 by a score of 5-1 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Connor McDavid and Co. are just the third team to ever force a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final after once trailing 3-0 in the series. And Edmonton is now one win away from becoming just the second team to overcome a 3-0 Cup Final series deficit.

There have been just four NHL clubs to ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit in the postseason.

“There was an unshakable belief,” Oilers forward Zach Hyman said. “No matter what happened throughout the year, we always believed we could pull through. No matter how dire the circumstances, we think we have a chance. It was a long season facing adversity which prepared us. The next one will be the hardest. It feels unbelievable to do it in front of this crowd. To have a chance to win now, this is our first opportunity to win.”

The Oilers opened Game 6 with three unanswered goals, carrying a 3-0 lead into the third period. Warren Foegele scored the contest’s first goal seven minutes into the opening period.

Hyman and Adam Henrique then extended Edmonton’s lead with second-period goals. Henrique scored on an odd-man rush while Hyman beat Sergei Bobrovsky on a breakaway.