The Edmonton Oilers have historically lost to the Florida Panthers. The historical implications of this defeat are long and inglorious. Sam Reinhart becomes the first player to score four goals in a Stanley Cup Final game since Maurice “Rocket” Richard. Looking back through history, the Edmonton Oilers became the first team to lose consecutive Stanley Cup Finals since the 1976-77 and 1977-78 Boston Bruins. It’s only because Vasily Podkolzin scored late that Sam Reinhart was denied the chance to become the third player ever to score the cup-winning goal in consecutive seasons.
Back-to-Back Stanley Cup Finals Losses
For the first time in 50 years, an NHL team has lost back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. While the Bruins of the late 1980s didn’t win the Cup, they had the excuse of not having the best player in the world on their roster. They were beaten by the Montreal Canadiens, who were in the middle of winning everything. That’s not even the worst part about this idea. The Edmonton Oilers in 1977-78 were not an NHL team. They were still in the WHA before the merger in 1979. So, they are the first team to lose consecutive Stanley Cup Finals since they entered the league.
Fans will zero in on the goaltending, and it is fair to say that wasn’t good enough. Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard had their issues in this series, undeniably. However, they were also key parts of getting the Oilers to the final. Pickard’s 7-0 record until Game 5 was massive for Edmonton. Skinner’s been very feast-or-famine, but he had multiple shutout wins. He was the turning point in the Golden Knights series when the Oilers took precise control. The disconnect across the entire roster in this final was more damaging.
Perry’s Curse Lives On Now in Oilers History
Corey Perry has now lost in five of the last six Stanley Cup Finals on four different teams. Perry’s curse continues to live as he comes so close to capturing the second Stanley Cup of his career. In 2020, he lost with the Dallas Stars against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 2021, he lost with the Montreal Canadiens against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Perry decided to join them if he couldn’t beat them and lost with the Bolts to the Colorado Avalanche. After an off-year in which he lost to Toronto in Round One and a brief stop in Chicago, he came to Edmonton.
The worst part for Perry is that very few people will remember how good he was for the Oilers this postseason. Perry contributed 10 goals and four helpers for 14 points in the Oilers run to the finals. He was a massive part of breaking through earlier rounds and had big moments early in the series. We will get to where the blame lies with this Oilers team at some point, but it certainly does not rest with Perry. Edmonton’s ageless wonder faces his demise again and must now find a way to get over the hump.
Allowing A Four-Goal Game
Reinhart became the first player since Maurice Richard to have a four-goal game in a Stanley Cup Final. That was also against the Boston Bruins in 1957. Edmonton becomes the first team in 70 years to allow a player to score four goals in a Finals game and the first in the era of the required 16 wins for the Cup. When a record held by someone like Richard falls, it implies either that the player had a historic performance or that the team he played for was not very good. This is very much the latter. The Oilers’ defence and goaltending were brutal in the biggest game of the series for the Oilers, and in recent history, besides last year of course.
While two were in the empty net, it doesn’t become more forgivable. They couldn’t just lose; they had to break the most obscure records in the process. However, last season, when they were so close to making history, of course, nothing came of it. Instead, the Oilers must go back to the drawing board and find another way to end the Stanley Cup drought. This team hasn’t won the Cup since 1990. They’ve been to three finals in the cap era and still come up short. Is this team cursed, or will Bowman and company find a way to get back to the promised land?
Main Photo: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
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