Breadcrumb Trail Links
SportsNHLHockeyEdmonton Oilers
Article content
It’s not just the No. 1 question in the entire city right now … it’s the only question: What do the Edmonton Oilers need to do to bring home the Stanley Cup?
And the setup is absolutely delicious.
Hockey fans far and wide will sit down to feast as the Edmonton Oilers have a place at the table opposite the Florida Panthers, where the centre piece is none other than hockey’s Holiest of Grails.
Advertisement 2
Article content
And only one fan base will walk away from Game 7 at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday night (6 p.m., CBC, Sportsnet) full of championship glory, while the other will starve on a feeling of emptiness, with a sickness in the pit of their stomach after coming so exasperatingly close to having had it all.
One part agony, one part ecstasy. Put it on ice and blend it all up for at least 60 full minutes and see how it all pours out.
Here’s the recipe for success the Oilers need to follow in order to bring home a sixth Stanley Cup:
1. STRAP IT IN TIGHT
Step 1: Buy an extra plane ticket and buckle that thing up for a 4,000 km flight home, preferably right next to Kris Knoblauch so the rookie NHL head coach can physically reflect on just what he’s managed to accomplish in just seven short months, that has taken the franchise 34 lean years to make a reality.
Sure, there’s still a matter of actually putting together one final game together and coming out on the right end. But at this point, I kind of get the feeling that the only one who can stop the full-on locomotive that is the Edmonton Oilers right now is themselves.
Oil Spills
Article content
Advertisement 3
Article content
They have been to rock bottom this year, and on more than one occasion, each time bouncing right back from the brink of elimination. And they are now one step away from reaching the pinnacle.
I would say they can’t possibly be denied, but I’m also the one who guaranteed a Dallas Stars win in writing back in Game 6 of the last round, and all the Oilers did was prove me wrong to the point where I’m still fending off well-deserved reader feedback about just how out to lunch I can be.
So, take it for what it’s worth. But I’d like to think I’ve learned my lesson when it comes to betting against Connor McDavid and Co. at this point in the proceedings.
2. BEAT UP ON BOB
Sergei Bobrovsky might just be the one person up to the challenge of shutting down the Oilers’ high-octane offence. Sure, the Panthers’ netminder hasn’t been able to do it the entire series, but he showed an absolute dominance on the way to Florida taking a 3-0 advantage early on.
The last half has proven he’s still human, as the Oilers stormed back to even things up, even getting him hooked halfway through an 8-1 shellacking in Game 4.
Advertisement 4
Article content
Goalie Bob is going to be at his best, and that no doubt means robbing the Oilers of at least one sure-fire goal Monday. But they can’t let that deter them from continuing to pepper him with shots if they want to finally put him away for good.
3. THIRD LINE’S A CHARM
You wouldn’t know they were depth by the way the Oilers third line of Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown are playing right now.
Talk about heart-and-soul guys who refuse to be pigeon-holed by where they appear in the lineup. They have been making it happen both with the puck and without, and look like guys who are auditioning for bigger roles next season — either with the Oilers or without, in a couple of cases.
But for now, they have been the spark plug that got the Oilers’ offensive machine finally firing on all cylinders, and they need to have enough gas in the tank for at least one more lap around the track.
4. CALLING ON CONNOR
McDavid cannot do it alone. Just like the Oilers can’t do it without McDavid.
The captain needs to be at his best to overcome a Panthers counterpunch that shut down not just him, but the rest of Edmonton’s big guns over the first half of this series.
Advertisement 5
Article content
The thing is, it’s been either feast or famine for McDavid in this series, with a trio of multi-point performances while twice being held off the stats sheet completely. He’s still got three goals and eight assists to maintain his league lead in NHL playoff points this year.
With 42 (eight goals, 34 assists), he’s not going to break Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 47 points. But him being a non-factor on the stats sheet again doesn’t exactly give the Oilers the best boost in what is quite literally the biggest game of their lives.
5. TAKE OUT TKACHUK
This last one isn’t necessarily a must, but if Oilers fans can put in one tiny request — you know, just in case there aren’t enough demands, as is, on their team playing in Game 7 of the hardest trophy to win in all of pro sports — it would be to take Matthew Tkachuk out early on.
I don’t mean physically, of course. I’m a big believer in fair play. And besides, he should remain in the game if for no other reason than to have a front-row seat of the Oilers’ on-ice celebrations.
But if they can take him out, mentally, that would probably be best. There’s a reason he’s still Public Enemy No. 1 around these parts, even though he no longer plays for the provincial rival Cal- … whatever their names are (I always seem to forget in the playoffs, for some reason). He may turtle, but he doesn’t exactly suck.
All that being said, the odd post-whistle face wash would be much appreciated. Thanks.
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters.
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun
Article content
Share this article in your social network
via The Novum Times
The Novum Times 