“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. Conor 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.
How to watch Panthers vs. Oilers Stanley Cup Final Game 7
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