“It once again shows you or tells you that our group never quits,” said a proud Leon Draisaitl after the Edmonton Oilers pulled off an incredible win at the Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday to tie the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time. Despite being 3-0 down to the Panthers before the second period, the visitors staged a remarkable comeback thanks to Draisaitl’s spectacular OT goal. However, the German had someone special in his locker room to bring out the best in him.

“We wanted to come out strong tonight, but they put us on our heels early and we were kind of lollygagging around a little bit. It’s certainly not the time to lollygag around, right, especially after getting spanked in Game 3. Corey (Perry) spoke up,” Draisaitl mentioned how the pep-talk by the most experienced Oilers star in the first intermission of Game 4 helped Edmonton to turn things around over the next two periods. However, Perry himself isn’t too sure if his speech deserves the attention it is getting.

Corey was heard answering the reporters about his speech in a YouTube upload by the official Edmonton Oilers account from June 13. On being asked to share what his words of wisdom were that he shared with Leon Draisaitl and the others, the 40-year-old hockey winger said with a chuckle, “Well, it wasn’t wisdom. It was just honesty. I mean, just had to realize where we were in the moment and just kind of look ourselves in the mirror, and how we were playing and what we were doing. That’s pretty much all it was.”

Echoing Kris Knoblauch, Perry noted that the Oilers “looked flat” in the first period. So with 30 seconds left to the first-period buzzer, Perry decided that the team needed to be addressed and then said what he said. And thanks to him, Draisaitl got his name into the history books once again.

His match-winning goal from Thursday made him the first-ever player in the NHL to score four OT goals in a single postseason. Corey Perry, too, has been in top form this postseason, scoring 9 goals and 13 points—his highest postseason tally. The 40-year-old might be in his 20th season in the NHL, but he is as hungry as ever and wants to win the Stanley Cup for his seven-year-old son Griffin.”This is why I’m still playing — for him to have an opportunity to feel and touch the Stanley Cup. It’s something that I want to give him,” Perry said.

Corey has won the Stanley Cup before. However, that was in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks. His son wasn’t born then. Could this be the year?

Leon Draisaitl’s first Cup glory within reach, but things need fixing

It has been a hard and arduous trek to the Stanley Cup Finals for the Edmonton Oilers. Finishing third in the Pacific Division, they quickly turned things around in the postseason. Defeating the LA Kings in the first round (for the fourth straight year) and the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 2, Kris Knoblauch’s boys have been scintillating to watch.

Along the way, there have been some truly incredible moments as well. From the Oilers getting back at the Knights for their slash on Leon Draisaitl in 2023, to scripting history by becoming the first-ever team to win 6 straight matches coming from behind, there has been a lot to celebrate. Thursday’s game was almost a repetition of what the Oilers have managed to pull off multiple times in this postseason.

3-0 down in the first period, goalie Stuart Skinner getting replaced by Calvin Pickard in the second period, and yet, Edmonton wriggled out a seemingly impossible win on the Cats’ own backyard. Thanks to that, momentum is now with the Oilers as they are set to play Game 5 at Rogers Place, where they have a 7-2 record this postseason. That being said, Kris Knoblauch still has to decide on a goalie.

Moreover, Darnell Nurse and Evander have to get their act together. They can’t afford to give away cheap penalties anymore. After all, it was their carelessness that put the Panthers on a 5-3 advantage and allowed Matthew Tkachuk to score the opener. Lastly, Connor McDavid has to chip in with goals. You cannot be the best player on your team and have nothing to show for 17 shots on goal.