“Game Seven” might be the two best words in sports, but perhaps the only thing that could eclipse that is when a team is looking to erase a 3-0 series deficit. That’s because in the history of North American major pro sports with playoff series (NHL, NBA, MLB), 407 teams have gone up 3-0 prior to this Stanley Cup Final, and only five teams across the three leagues have blown the lead to lose the series.
The good news for the Edmonton Oilers is that four of those instances have come in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, although the Florida Panthers will have home ice as the NHL season draws to an epic close in Sunrise, Fla. Connor McDavid went ballistic in Games 4 and 5, tallying 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) while leading Edmonton to get back in the series, but the Oilers’ penalty killing has also been huge as well. Edmonton has killed off 18-of-19 penalties in this series and 46 of the last 47 in the playoffs.
Florida, meanwhile, needs to find some kind of spark after coming out flat in each of the last three games, getting outscored 18-5. Sam Reinhart (-3), Matthew Tkachuk (-5) and Carter Verhaeghe (-9) have been held completely in check over the last three games, and the Panthers will need their big stars to step up to avoid losing in the Cup Final for a second straight year, and becoming the first team since 1942 to lose in the Cup Final after opening the series with a 3-0 lead.
Date: Monday, June 24
Location: Amerant Bank Arena | Sunrise, Fla.
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV channel: ABC
Streaming: ESPN+
Stay with Yahoo Sports for live updates from Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
If the Stanley Cup were decided on fan volume alone, we’d have a clear winner (small sample size!).
A Chant-Off?! I dont have a decibel reader, but I am confident Oilers fans are winning this chant war right now #TimeToHunt #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/2ku7QVsVlO
Kenzie Lalonde (@KenzieTSN) June 24, 2024
Same lines and pairings for the Oilers as Game 6, per warmups.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) June 24, 2024
Home-ice advantage? Maybe not for the Panthers.
Oilers fans have flooded the Panthers arena pic.twitter.com/TdMqIbXyCE
Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) June 24, 2024
The Edmonton Oilers or the Florida Panthers will lift the Stanley Cup on Monday night following Game 7 (8 p.m. ET; ABC). It will be a historic achievement no matter the result: a first-ever championship for the Panthers or a completed series comeback by the Oilers that has not been seen in the Stanley Cup Final since 1942.
The Oilers have already made history. They are the first NHL team since the 1944-45 Detroit Red Wings to fall behind in the Cup Final 3-0 and force a Game 7. Win on Monday night and they join the 1941-42 Toronto Maple Leafs as the only teams to finish the job.
Its not your ordinary game, everybody understands that, but youve got to make it as ordinary as possible in your head, Oilers captain Connor McDavid said on Sunday. Our room has done a great job of being at our best in these big moments, and I would expect no different.
After the Panthers 4-3 victory in Game 3, it seemed as if Florida would eventually be crowned champions. They were in complete control of the series and the Oilers had no answers. Even after Edmontons 8-1 rout in Game 4 to stave off elimination, it was thought that the Panthers would rebound and close it out in Game 5 at home.
But they did not. The series got away from the Panthers and the Oilers woke up, including McDavid, who recorded eight points during victories in Games 4 and 5. Now hes helped bring the franchise to the game every young hockey player dreams about.
Read the full story here.
Oilers 3, Panthers 1
Check out our Game 7 preview here, plus a breakdown of NHL teams that have forced a Game 7 after going down 3-0.
Only FIVE teams have EVER come back from down 3-0 across the NBA, NHL and MLB The Oilers have a chance at special history tonight pic.twitter.com/l8Fv5Kcy4b
Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 24, 2024
Are the Edmonton Oilers about to pull off a historic feat Monday in Game 7 (8 p.m. ET; ABC) of the Stanley Cup Final? The Florida Panthers are hoping to finally win the fourth game of the series after failing in their previous three tries, including Friday’s 5-1 defeat at Rogers Place.
It remains to be seen if the Oilers can complete the series comeback after being down 3-0, but they’ve already made history by forcing a Game 7.
Edmonton became the 211th team in NHL history to fall behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven playoff series. By winning Game 6 they became only the 10th team to ever climb all the way back and force a Game 7 something that hasn’t happened in a decade.
The city of Edmonton has been waiting for this moment. #StanleyCup: @EdmontonOilers vs. @FlaPanthers #Game7 TONIGHT at 8p ET on ABC, @ESPNPlus, @Sportsnet, Sportsnet+, and @TVASports (: TikTok/kmoorephotos) pic.twitter.com/C4I4DBs7SG
NHL (@NHL) June 24, 2024
But just winning three games in a row to force a do-or-die Game 7 isn’t an automatic sign you’re going to win the series. Only four of the previous nine series that occurred have resulted in the trailing team coming back to win the all-important fourth game and it has happened only twice since 1975 and just once in the Stanley Cup Final.
Click here for more on those other nine series and how the trailing teams ended up faring.
Ill be awarded tonight.
The Stanley Cup (@StanleyCup) June 24, 2024
Locked and loaded for #Game7. #StanleyCup : ABC & @ESPNPlus ️ https://t.co/Pp9X7OGP3W: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ️ https://t.co/sEijvXhbA1 pic.twitter.com/RwujASMETU
NHL (@NHL) June 24, 2024