What do you do when you see your beloved team slowly give out? Ask Wayne Gretzky, maybe. After a 5-2 loss to the Panthers in Game 5 at Rogers Place, the Oilers are now just one defeat away from missing out on winning the Stanley Cup for the second time in a row. And, boy, is Gretzky ticked 0ff—not even mincing his words when it comes to hilariously fending off TNT co-panelist Paul “Biz Nasty” Bissonnette.

As per a tweet by NHLonTNT, captioned, “Wayne said Biz was bad luck because we got another Bizzy Bet reverse sweep thru 2 periods 😭,” Gretzky was heard telling Paul “Biz Nasty” Bissonnette off for the latter’s betting predictions ahead of Game 5. As seen in the posted video, the hockey analyst had predicted that Sam Reinhart would take more than 3 shots on the Oilers’ net, while the Edmonton captain, Connor McDavid, would score more than 1+ point in today’s game. Biz also predicted that Trent Frederic would get his name on the scoresheet with a goal. Unfortunately, NONE of those predictions came true, and well… Wayne wasn’t amused.

After Bissonnette’s colleagues had a good laugh at how his Game 5 predictions fell flat on their faces, the player/head coach-turned-analyst pointed out how the TNT sportscaster is just terrible at making forecasts. “You said 7 or 8 goals in every game, we got just 2 tonight [laughing].” The retired Oilers star’s pain could almost be felt despite the chuckle he let out. “You’re bad luck,” Gretzky quipped, essentially asking Paul to refrain from making any predictions going forward.

The former Phoenix C0yotes’ head coach really believed that the current squad of the Oilers could finally end the almost four-decade-long Stanley Cup drought. “This is the team to do it,” Gretzky said on the Pat McAfee show after the Oilers beat the Panthers in Game 1. “One, I don’t think Florida has played a team that is as physical as Edmonton. The speed of Edmonton matches Carolina, but Edmonton’s more physical.” Gretzky argued that three back-to-back Finals appearances would take a physical toll on Paul Maurice’s boys.

The Oilers also seemed like the team with the superior mindset to Gretzky. “I expect (the Panthers) to bounce back. But listen, Edmonton feels it. That’s all anyone talks about,” he said. But right now, with the Oilers just one defeat away from missing out on winning the Cup, despite being in touching distance twice in a row, Gretzky is justifiably feeling like the waves crashing around him—similar to what players felt on Saturday.

Very early in the game, it was clear that the Oilers wouldn’t get a win so easily. In the first period itself, the Panthers took on the offensive to get a 2-0 lead. Sam Bennett then pushed that to a 3-0 just over five minutes in the third period. While Connor McDavid answered back with a goal making it a 3-1, just 46 seconds later, Sam Reinhart made it a 4-1 lead. With 3:13 left, Corey Perry scored a goal, settling the scoreboard at 4-2 at that point. However, forward Eetu Luostarinen scored into an empty net from the defensive zone with 1:19 left, sealing a well-deserved victory.

“There is a connection you feel as a group and I think we’ve had it for moments over the course of this series, but it wasn’t there tonight. Playing with five [as a unit], being tight and working our way out of our zone and being in their zone, I thought in the second period there was a good amount of that but not enough to win the game,” Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse lamented after the game. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, though, is ready.

“You talk about backs against the wall and this is the ultimate. We’ll be prepared to play and make sure that we’re ready to go,” he confidently stated talking about Game 6 at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC).

Looks like all hope is not lost.

Wayne Gretzky shouldn’t put a verdict on the series just yet

The Oilers have proved themselves to be a team that never accepts defeat without a fight. Comeback wins have become the norm for Kris Knoblauch’s boys, with Edmonton scripting history during its tryst with the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the playoffs. In the Finals, against the Panthers, McDavid and his teammates even managed to break the reputed playoff streak of seasoned coach Paul Maurice. That’s enough evidence to show that the Oilers came into the postseason with all eyes on the Stanley Cup.

And who could even afford to forget the thriller that turned out to be Game 4? Being down by 3 goals after the first period, the Oilers rallied back in the most spectacular way possible and walked away with a thundering 5-4 victory thanks to Leon Draisaitl’s OT goal. Gretzky, too, was enamored by what went down at the Amerant Bank Arena last Thursday.

But will these instances from the past games be enough to bring a smile to Gretzky’s face when the Oilers and the Panthers take to the ice at the Amerant Bank Arena again on Tuesday? What do you think will happen at the Cats’ home venue in Game 6? Can the defending champs finally get the green signal on retaining the Cup in Miami, or will the Oilers once again manage to show their grit and push things to Game 7? Share your prediction with us!