The Edmonton Oilers made NHL history after their 4-2 triumph over the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Semifinals, coming back from a two-goal deficit to win in regulation and take a 1-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Playoffs series. After the pivotal win, Corey Perry issued a strong reminder for the team, including Connor McDavid and Kris Knoblauch.
McDavid and the Oilers set an NHL record after erasing their 0-2 deficit en route to a tone-setting 4-2 win in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup with the Golden Knights. Edmonton is now the first team in playoff history to win five straight come-from-behind playoff games.
Though the milestone is noteworthy, Knoblauch would much rather avoid the dramatics and see his team win in commanding fashion with a complete performance. Still, a win is a win. What’s clear is that the Oilers aren’t in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to chase records—they’re here to hoist the franchise’s sixth Cup.
The Oilers have already secured five wins in their Stanley Cup pursuit, nine away from the magic number set at 16. The Oilers won’t have home-ice advantage in any playoff round, which means they must treat away games with the same intensity as if they played at Rogers Place.
Corey Perry #90 of the Edmonton Oilers skates against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period in Game Four of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on May 14, 2024 in Edmonton, Canada.
Following the road win by a score of 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena, Perry delivered a bold reminder to McDavid, Knoblauch, and the Oilers as they vye to take a 2-0 lead during their visit to the Golden Knights in Sin City.
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“We came here to win hockey games and we found a way tonight,” Corey Perry said, via NHL.com. “We stuck with our game plan and found a way. It’s huge to find a way to get one before the end of the period. That was our mentality after they scored the second one, let’s start going here. Let’s get that next one and see where this goes from there.”
Never truly out
The NHL record set by the Oilers, who have proven to be true mentality warriors with five straight comeback wins, could never be explained without Draisaitl and McDavid’s presence on the ice.
McDavid and Draisaitl have registered 13 and 12 points, respectively, so far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Perry, now playing alongside the two superstars on the top line, has made the most of the opportunity.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch of the Edmonton Oilers speaks to the media during Media Day prior to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 07, 2024.
“Those two guys [McDavid and Draisaitl] are world-class players, made some world-class plays, and I was a beneficiary,” Perry humbly said about his goal which cut the lead down to 2-1.
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Perry hoping to end skid
Perry won the Stanley Cup during his sophomore NHL season, as he hoisted Lord Stanley with the Anaheim Ducks in the 2006-07 season. However, he’s been ‘cursed’ since.
In recent years, the ‘Perry Curse’ became a league-wide phenom, as the former first-round selection lost three straight Cup Finals in 2020 with the Dallas Stars, 2021 with the Montreal Canadiens, and in 2022 when he lost in the Final with the Tampa Bay Lightning, which he had joined after the Bolts defeated his teams in the previous years.
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To add insult to injury, Perry and the Oilers lost to the Florida Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup FInal. He became the 34th player in league history to lose in the final at least four times in at least five appearances, per The Hockey News. McDavid and the Oilers will hope to lift Lord Stanley, not only for themselves and their legacies, but to snap Corey Perry’s bad streak, as well.
